SELECTED ESSAYS (2)

by young authors

Helsinki Committ ee for Human Rights in Serbia Belgrade, 2005 Selected Essays (2) by young authors

Pblisher: Helsinki Committ ee for Human Rights in Serbia his is the second collection of selected essays by the authors who Tatt ended the courses and seminars the Helsinki Committ ee for For publisher: Human Rights in Serbia organized in 2005. Sonja Biserko Within the tree-year project “Building up Democracy and Good Governance in Multiethnic Communities” that is being implemented with the assistance of the European Union, twenty-four 5-day “Schools Editor: of democracy” and sixteen 3-day seminars under the common title “Life Seška Stanojlović and Living in Multiethnic Environments” were held in 2004 and 2005 in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Kragujevac and Novi Pazar. Over 1000 trainees Translated by: att ended these courses and seminars. The project is aimed at capacitating young people - by the Ivana Damjanović means of att ractive courses of training - not only for a life in multiethnic communities that are particularly burdened with the adverse experience Number of copies: of the recent past, mutual distrust and stereotypes, but also for a life in 300 the conditions that mark a modern democracy and refl ect its standards. An objective as such implies, among other things, rational perception of notions, developments and trends that are in Serbia still blurred, Printed by: marginalized and subject to relativism or, moreover, to various and even Zagorac, Belgrade, 2005 misguiding interpretations. The Helsinki Committ ee’s experience testifi es this is all about a process that takes time but is worthy of eff ort - the more ISBN - 86-7208-116-1 so since young people, as evidenced by the selected writings as well, fully perceive it as an imperative need of their own.

This edition has been produced with the fi nancial assistance of the European Union. The contents of this edition are the sole responsibility of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia and can under no circumstances be regarded as refl ecting the position of the European Union.

3 Contents:

• Stefan Nikolić: A Teen’s Thoughts on Problems of His Generation .. 7

• Olivera Radovanović: Fall 200X ...... 10

• Nenad Jelenković: Haven’t You Grown Tired of Your Own Hatred .. 12

• Nataša Kiković: Wedding, Wedding, Wedding ...... 15

• Milica Stevanović: Light to life ...... 21

• Andraš Juhas: Where is Our Country Headed ...... 23

• Irena Đorđević: Democracy ...... 27

• Mara Živkov: For the Literate Only ...... 29

• Tamara Stojković: Diff erences and Values as a Challenge ...... 33

• Tij ana Vladisavljević: Future, Human Liberties and Rights ...... 36

• Ivan Kuzminović: Much-needed Foes ...... 40

• Ivan Kovačević: Generation Lost in Fog ...... 45

• Dragana Ćorić: Brussels, 25 June 2005 ...... 48

• Miloš Stoiljković: Much Expected from the Young Ones ...... 50

• Nebojša Đerić: The Country Which I Love ...... 55

• Miloš Gajić: Homework ...... 59

• Milan Zaviša: An Interesting Life in - Boredom ...... 65

• Maja Lonhardt: Esthetics in Media ...... 67

• Dejan Pataki: “You are What You Watch” ...... 70

• Vladeta Milin: Football Field ...... 74 Stefan Nikolić (Novi Sad)

A TEENAGER’S THOUGHTS ON PROBLEMS OF HIS GENERATION

y topic is indicated in the title, while in my head continue to swirl Mthoughts about the link between multiethnicity of Vojvodina and the rights of the child. I am vexed by the hatred-charged graffi titi which I can see on the walls of my city, and I am also vexed by my history teacher to whom I mustn’t disclose the true causes of my late September absence from school. And I was with You. You must be wondering now about my whereabouts in those days? I att ended the School of Democracy in 26-30 September period in the Novi Sad offi ce of the Helsinki Committ ee for Human Rights. My att endance was seemingly accidental, while in fact, once the lectures were fi nished, I realized that my mother had secrectly planned everything in advance, and in fact made me face a fait acompli situation. Now while writing down my thoughts I am very grateful to her. Several days prior to the start of the aforementioned lectures, I fell off the bycicle in downtown Novi Sad and broke my arm. My arm was put in plaster. During my sick leave my mother showed me the text relating to the Helsinki Committ ee School of Democracy and tried to explain to me how useful it would be for me to att end it. Then I was not very interesested in that school. Now I recall that I thought it might be quite dull, but my mother persuaded me to att end that school by the following words: “Stefan, last summer you were in Petnica. You

7 young authors selected essays (2) came back a new boy, full of enthusiasm and enchanted with the then lectures. In this primary school we are being told stories about the Children’s School of Democracy is Petnica of social sciences and it could help you fi nally opt parliament, about creation of a good mood in school, and contribution of children for the secondary school specialization.” to improvement of quality of lectures and the learning process. Pupils and their Then people from your organization were very understanding of my parents are asked to come up suggestions in that regard. There is much emphasis age, they invited me, and their school was so interesting that I am now writing on the partnership between pupils’s house education and school education, they about my impressions and thoughts. Perhaps I am in fact writing about indeed teach us to respect opinions of others and to honour diversity. While I with my impressive people whom I saw there, and whose lectures and words I, to some experience of the wealth of diversity must keep mum, and when I dare mention it extent understood. I am met with disapproval, stern glances and criticism of the people who people I am sure that you, while reading this text, are in fact thinking the who had let me trust my School for Democracy lecturers. following: What is this boy trying to write about, what is he in fact trying to tell And that is not the end of my troubles! us? What is that suggested link between multi-ethnic Vojvodina and his professor My both parents are jurists employed by the Novi Sad Ministry of the of history? Interior. And we all know that the date of 5 October has long passed. Well, to And believe me, there is a strong and visible link and I am very gratefu to make the long story short, my mother came from work several days ago and you for allowing me see and listen to the person who was one of the candidates for started telling us how her colleagues criticized her for lett ing her child att end the the Nobel Prize, then Biljana Kovačević’s Vučo lecture which prompted me write notorious Helsinki Committ ee School for Democracy. And that is exatly the link this essay, Pavel too, whose discussion was as interesting as the one between my between insulting graffi tt i on the parliament and Executive Council of Vojvodina parents in our house, and fi nally, the imparting of the history-related overview by building and absence of human rights. Sneža Kresoja. Ideas of my parents are not very popular in their work ambience, and I Suddenly I no longer saw those boring people from TV screens whom feel misunderstood and isolated in my school because of my parents and their my parents usually watch and whose statements they sometimes quote during decision to let me att end the democracy lectures of an organization which in discussions about the political situation in our country with their friends. Serbia does not enjoy much support. Suddenly all those TV people had their names and surnames, their distinctive And that too explains the link between the two, apparently remote topics: gestures, they were there, before my eyes- in fl esh. multiethnicity of Vojvodina and the rights of the child. Instead of all the people Once the lectures were over I really desired to share my impressions with embracing the common idea of respect of diff erent opinions, and lett ing it lead my peers, with my school pals and teachers. But then the curtain fell, and my us to the unique vision of peace and welfare among people, we have opted for enthusiasm and joy were replaced with melancholy and sadness. teetering on the brink of ruin in our isolation from the rest of the world, all the Since my sick leave was justifi ed by a doctor’s certifi cate, I was able to while being terribly proud of being Serbs! We are so obsessed with showing to the do whatever I fancied. And that is exactly what I did. But as soon as I was back rest of the world our exclusivity! in school, back in my 8th grade with stories about my interesting experience Today we had a special class during which it was decided that the and impressions of TV people whom I have met personally, impressions of their majority of pupils from my grade would set out on a several day long excursion. words, no-one was willing to listen to me. I could not share my impressions with Our head teacher tacitly and in advance approved our future consumption of beer anyone. and wine, with the following words: “Children but all those bott les must be kept History professor is obsessed with the Kosovo myth and Serbhood, my by me!” head teacher is a refugee from Croatia, and in her mind all non-Serbs are probably My friend Jovana (last summer we att ended the Summer Scientifi c School bad people. A psychologist and pedagogist would have told me that I should in Petnica) and I were excluded from the excursion. We are good youngsters and have prepared the admission exam for the secondary Zmaj Jova school, instead excellent pupils. But we don’t fi t in such a milieu. I have mixed feelings. I am both of att ending the School of Democracy. My school-mates don’t understand me, proud and sad. I am waiting for the November testing of pupils covered by the most of them have never heard of the Helsinki Committ ee, while some think it is US-Serb education exhange program. a spying NGO. I have just heard that the “Week of the Rights of the Child” is being marked by various celebrations in Serbia. I wonder if those rights exist at all?

8 9 selected essays (2)

I admit that I am growing impatient, and therefore another line or two to you would be superfi cial and awkward. Therefore I want to say good-bye to you, in hope that we shall drink coff ee again and that there will be no need to keep writing lett ers which are too small moulds to convey the words of my love for you, my dear friend. Lot of kisses, from your Sveta from Banja Luka” Olivera Radovanović (Kragujevac) Jana pressed the lett er to her bosom and sighed deeply. She was happy for Sveta was fi nally happy! As always she immediately took her pen and paper and started writing.

“My dear friend! FALL 200X Though I am sad because we are so far apart, I am very happy, even without seeing you, because you are fi nally content. But I would envy your happiness and be jealous of if I did not have as good time here in Belgrade. Here everything smells of …autumn, mixed wits smells of freshly baked croissants from the nearby bakery, which has just reopened. Do you remember Sveto, his morning Jana has received a lett er from Svetozar. She has do you remember when you moved into my building block and expected his reply for days, and impatiently waited for the arrival T all children teased you…and I defended you and treated you with of the old postman Mita. So she was overjoyed when she fi nally had Svetozar’s the best cheese pie in the world. ?! Hey! lett er in her hands. And then you promised that when you grow up you She closed the window to isolate herself from the city noise and should write me a song …just for me. Do you remember that… nervously opened up the envelope. And fi nally, clearly writt en and neatly you crazy boy??! writt en lett ers were before her eyes. And you are right…this fall is beautiful! And I don’t want to miss out on its beauty. .. “Hi, girl! I send you too a lot of kisses, and please start writing Sorry for having waited for my lett er, but I must tell you regularly, as you promised, for, on the contrary, I shall also grow that life in Banja Luka, as of late, is so interesting, that I simply lazy, just to spite you !!! did not have enough time to dedicate myself to writing a lett er to Bye friend ! you. Regards from Belgrade!” While I am writing to you, the wind is blowing and swirling dry leaves on the streets. ... Colors are simple wonderful Completely satisfi ed and happy, Jana took her jacket and eagerly ran outdoors! The sound of human voiced att racts me and I can hardly wait to say good-bye to you and go out, dear friend! out to crowded streets of Belgrade. People are so lively here! One day I was sitt ing and sipping coff ee and watching smiling people pass by me! All of them were kissing, and hugging each other. ... They all wore beautiful jackets and suits. ... They nibble sweets and spend hours having fun in the park! I regressed and became a child again simply by watching them!

10 11 selected essays (2)

Serbia turn a blind eye to some killers and maniacs just because they are Serbs? ?!? And of course bad news resonates more and farther than the good ones. I would like to put on the other side of scales my impressions from Croatia…and then someone in Croatia should put my impressions on the Nenad Jelenković other side of their scales. It would be OK for the start-up of campaign of mutual good news… (Novi Sad) This year I was lucky to have several concerts in Croatia... Before my departure many in Serbia tried to dissuade me from going there, because my safety would not be guaranteed…in view of recent problems at a handball match in Zagreb. HAVEN’T YOU GROWN TIRED OF We had three concerts, two in Zagreb, and one in Rijeka. I have been a musician for years now, but those three concerts were just YOUR OWN HATRED fantastic, I had the most fantastic time. Girls gave me a big, furry ass with the message: “Give our regards to Novi Sad. Denizens of Zagreb love you.” The bass-guitar player later told me: “I can’t believe it…See, how bad politics and politicians are. They o you read dailies? destroyed everything that was destroyable.” DCome on, don’t give up... Those dailies contain only random And they started destroying all that was not destroyable... writings of some. ... While we have our own thoughts in our heads, don’t And they were successful in their intent… we? They sowed hatred on every healthy soil, and rare were those who Do you sometimes re-appraise your own stands? remained immune to their spread of disease... Do you ever ask yourself: “Do I hate anyone?” OK, I am fighting in my own way against that and I feel fine while As of late sports news have been moved from the last, to the front- or doing correct things for my milieu and myself. first pages, usually reserved for the political news. We can for example read I know that I have not succeeded in changing many things. But it is how football fans from Zagreb beat up fans from Belgrade, which is more difficult to defeat the strongest weapon in the world-the stupidity... than sufficient to resuscitate the vampire of hatred (and our seems not to Not because it is stronger than common sense and intelligence, but have got a wink of sleep for a very long time.) And then obviously the first because it is more –widespread… and foremost thought of people here is that Serbs are hated and Croatia, and Excessively so… then the fans can hardly wait for the new match in Belgrade, to get across the My dear people, if you hate anyone, if you hear yourself utter the same message of hatred... words of hatred, then be aware that that you fell victim to the disease curable But if one judges matters only by fans, then it seems that Serbs hate and treatable only if you realize that you can change if you re-appraise your Serbs, and Croats hate Croats? stances, if you let yourself admit to yourself: “What those around me think If I ask someone why he hates Croats, he immediately starts talking and what I have thought is no longer of importance… I have pondered and about their hatred of. Thus the principal argument of hatred among us is the now I realize that this reasoning of mine more healthier and cleverer and infamous: “Well they hate us too, don’t they”... that is why I am a better man.” It is so simple. Everyone says that: “Man is a And thus the circle is closed. man, character and profession of his parents don’t have any impact on him If some fools there have similar hatred-charged graffiti, that is, we or her”. face the same stupidity written by identical fools. So tell me know: if the So what’s the problem, why can’t we translate that into practice? stupidity they commit there is wrong, how come that ours is –right? Can Well, we are in fact that problem...

12 13 young authors

Try to understand and correct yourself... don’t be lazy. And if you are so lazy, then don’t bother to hate …. Many in this region grew bored with –hatred.

P.S. I hope that these lines shall reach Zagreb: We send our regards to Zagreb. We love you, denizens of Novi Sad and Pazova ... Nataša Kiković (Beograd)

WEDDING, WEDDING, WEDDING

“Wedding, like any other wedding, what is there more to say, a parade of drunkenness and kitch...”

his story is inspired by a genuine event, and if some scene and Tcharacters seem familiar to you, you are right, for, unfortunately we are surrounded by such characters, and some of them are lurking in our midst. In early July I was a guest at a wedding in a small town in the vicinity of Nis. As soon as we entered the bridegroom’s house we were offered candy fruit, water and meat of a roast pig suckling, as befits the customs of our people. While some were sitting at the table, eating and drinking, the host and hostess, accompanied by sounds of wedding music played by accordionists, warmly welcomed the guests hidden behind large gifts-packages they were bringing together with brandy bottles and inevitable roast pig sucklings on skewers. Those gifts were taken over by people specifically charged with that task. Gift-packages were labelled. Names of gift-givers were written on them, to avoid that the gift received on the previous occasion be smaller or less expensive than the one given for that wedding. The host then welcomed the guest with the speech and gulped down a drink as “cheers” for their good health, as apropriately recorded by a watchful eye of a cameraman. An excited and nervous aunt then asked all the guests to close ranks and peer together into the camera lense. Then the hostess apportioned various tasks

14 15 young authors selected essays (2) to some guests. I was honoured by the task to attach a sprig of rosmary and cannot be matched, and that white socks anad black shoes have gone out of other flowers on guests lapels. While adorning all the guests, I felt very of fashion after the dismantling of the Italian mafia in the United States. important, for all of them were staring at me. But I suddenly realized that Poor sods, they in fact just emulated the suits worn by a popular folk singer they were watching a basket in my hand, which was slowly, but steadily in his highly-rated TV show aired by the most famous colour TV station filled up by banknotes given for each sprig or flower, as the custom implied. in this country. I would have survived all that lack of taste, had I not been Then we all walked out and in front of the house danced a wedding dance. approached by too many young brides-to-be with requests with “adorn” The time was up to go and pick up a bride. properly their elusive beaus, by letting my sprig-pins pierce not only the Upon arriving in the bride’s house, we were all welcomed warmly as lapeles of their elusive and oft cheating beaus. Females, guest-workers from the custom implied. A steadfast hand of the bridegroom shot down precisely abroda, and city ladies caused quite a stir in that crowd, with their modern the apple hanging on the pole at the gate. In a clear show of enthusiasm hair-styles, fake brands of top clothes items, artifical nails, and well-matched over that heroic feat, every single male guest started firing from his gun or shoes. To put it honestly, the young looked quite fashionable with their well- rifle. For me it was a throwback to some scenes in westerns in which there matched clothes and shoes, though some of the brands were fakes. Many was usually much shooting for no apparent reason at all. Before we started were genuine look-alikes or copies of some popular singers and actresses, bargaining for the value of the bride with her brothers, her aunt ran up to though they managed to successfully emulate fashion styles of politicians us with an adorned rooster which even had shoe-laces around his neck. We and top athletes. But, what overwhelmed me most was the verbal instruction were custom-bound to buy the rooster. And we paid dearly for the rooster, to take a mental note of each donation, that is, to possibly write down or as the custom implied. memorize both the single amounts and their donors. The idea was to settle Bargaining process for the bride’s hand was a protracted affair. Her the accounts in a benevolent way. That is to ultimately see who was more brothers were sure of her worth, while the brigedgroom’s brothers knew generous, theirs or ours relatives and friends. In the Municipal Hall some that she was “a damaged commodity.” The haggling was interrupted by the scenes were very interesting. A semi-literate female register was struggling bride’s uncle. He said point black that it was mindless to discuss her worth with words having more than 6 letters, and in that place was so evidently and innocence, for she was six months pregnant. Finally we managed to run-down and seedy, I somehow managed to avoid quite a large piece of “buy” the bride. Then she left her room in company of her sisters. She was plaster which fell from the celing. After the fateful YES, the promise of beautiful, nicely mide-up, dressed in a white long wedding gown, trailing eternal love, and a long-awaited kiss, we left for the restaurant, to continue along the floor just like those donned by heroines of our beloved Latin with eating and drinking, as the custom implied. But, first there was a lot of American TV serials. I was glad that the bride was so much in tune with kissing in front of the municipal building and a lot of picture-takings with modern times. In a show of love, and for the sake of future good relations, as the newly-weds, and the obligatory scene of prospective brides catching a the custom implied, the mother-in-law made the bride sit in her lap, swang single bouqet of flowers thrown by the bride. Catching of that bouqet was her for a while and then made her eat some sugar and honey from her hand. a memorable, action scene. They trampled upon each other, pushed each When the bride left the house, a veritable battle erupted. Both her and our other violently, only to see the bouque ultimately caught by a pair of –male relatives started randomly shooting in order to show the superiority of hands! their calibers and beauty of carved wooden butts of their rifles. Then we all On our way to the restaurant we witnessed a scene similar to the merrily started dancing another wedding dance. And afterwards we all left one which characterizide our journey to the bride’s house: a motorcade for the Municipal Hall. with every single driver hooting wildly, and some even waving flags. In In front of the Municipal Hall I resumed my task. But then it also the restaurant each guest had his own allocated place, in line with the dawned on me that that task was much more complicated than I thought. familial ties, bloodline and friendship hierachy. By and large, one big family. Namely I had to match the colours of wedding flowers to the last-century Weddling like any other wedding, barring some great hits of original folk two-piece suits of middle-aged matrons, unaware of the fact that their music, believe it or not, we also heard some Bajaga hits. A song after a permed hairstyles hand long gone out of fashion (for they go to hairdressers song, and then again the wedding dance. Musicians indeed played a killer once a year, only on important occasions) and middle-aged small-town dance, for it lasted, in a frenetic rhythm, more then twenty minutes. Both gentleman who failed to realize that dark blue, black and brown colour the young and the old managed to survive it after much hopping around,

16 17 young authors selected essays (2) swaying, breast-jumping from deep decolletes, profuse sweating. Deeply somehow lifted her and put her on on the table; but he nearly failed in his impressed by that dance I remembered an unusual song once heard during a endeavour. Then her brother, carried away by a folk song from his native similar revelry: “A male wedding, it should make all of us happy”. After the town, hit his head with a full bottle and managed to break it up. Glass wedding dance, gung-ho musicians played a genuine southern belly-dance shards suddenly flew around, his head started bleeding and various coins to the delight of most males, for it brought about memories of the days of and banknotes started leaving the guests’ pockets. All the guests embraced, their youth when they haunted the cafes and rasturants in an incessant blurr formed a big circle and started singing. Both those who had long left for a big of carousing. Thus, with beaming face they all fell on their knees before their city and those who had long emigrated to make a decent living were now in spouses. “Misconduct” of heavily inebriated guests carried away by the that circle. It bears noting that many of them have not been on speaking terms jaunty music was monitored by the village gossip-mongers, for it would be for years, because of human stupidity, envy arising from someone having a a sin for the village to remain in the dark about the quality and quantity of better car or a house, or simply because of an unsettled inheritance. food, the looks of those present, the dancing partners, the flirting partners, My grandmother Tana would say: “ A drunken bride likes her and judging by their glances, prospective -foes. Aside from the watchful eyes husband’s brothers.” Memories of homeland cropped up, tears welled up of the most notorious gossipmongers, the event was monitored by inevitable many eyes, and there were embraces on all sides. It seemed that we were all picture-taking. But photos turned out to be more expensive than anyone engulfed in love. The dead were mentioned too, God save their souls, as if expected, for many claimed to have taken active part in the continuous they were there with us. Musicians were playing by the table, very close to photo-sessions! On the other hand my task has been long completed. Now our ears, while some guests were already sleeping under the tables. Guests at play was a very an odd task performed by so-called “money-keeper”. kept ordering songs from the times when my grandmother was a young Namely one of the rare abstemious boys was tasked with monitoring guests’ girl. The songs depicting wonderful landscapes of our rural areas, our love “donations” to musicians, or rather with keeping the wallets of any male pastorales, the one related to our shepherds and mill-keepers. Hey, those were guests from overt hemorrhaging. That boy was also tasked with preventing the times! All my good-will to be part of that unusual crowd, disappeared several people from paying to musicians to play several times the same after the great hit of a popular female singer with an odd surname was sung: song. Thus we ultimately faced a paradox, for first the best-man, then the “I’ll give, I’ll give, because I have to, but I still want to torture you a little“. bride, then the others paid to the musicians to play the same song! In the Then one of hosts held a speech: “D–e-a-r gu-ests, thank-you-uuu for co- middle of revelry the host held once again his welcome speech and then the ming, eat-eat, and dri-nk, and have a good time, and we shall se-e each other “cheers” drinks rounds started anew. I am in fact talking about that strange again so-on, on a sim-ilar occ-asion”. Unfortunately all the beautiful things custom of our ours when both the bride and the bridegroom greet every are short-lived, and accordingly these modern weddings last only one day, single guest, kiss him or her and have a drink with them, while guests give so ours had to end too. Hosts by hugging and thank-you words bid their them banknotes-laden envelopes which are placed in a separate basket. After farewell to all the guests, who, in turn, profusely thanked them for their many “cheers” and several rounds of folk music hits, the wedding cake was hospitality and promised an imminent and similar reverly, or get-together. I put on the table. It was a three-tiered affair, adorned with enormous multi- felt only sorry for all those women who upon returning to their homes were coloured flowers and with figures of the bride and bridegroom on its top. scolded or maybe even beaten by their husbands for having earlier counted The first slice of cake was given to the bridegroom by the bride, and then, to the number of their drinks. my surprise, a waiter brought several glasses and a champagne bottle to the To the surprise of many, there were no trumpet players at that newly-weds. What followed were exclusive cheers between them and their wedding, and the age-old custom of circulating loaves of bread (baked by best-man and maid of honour. families of the bride, the bridegroom and the best-man) from table to table in The peak of the wedding celebration transpired just after midnight. order for all the guests to place banknotes on them was ommitted. The latter Drunk and semi-drunk guests kept swilling large brandy glasses and anew gave rise to much gossip and speculations in the village in the post-wedding fired off their guns and carbines, for what is a revelry without shooting! days. When the wedding celebration finally ended, though it could have lasted Unfortunately as long as in Serbia glasses and bottles continue to be longer since half of the police-station was present, the bride took off her so eagerly embraced, the spitting on the floors remains the fact of the day, shoes, and started dancing on the table. Her husband’s semi-drunk brother the mouth-wiping by sleeves continues to be a time-honoured practice, as

18 19 young authors much as the throwing of cigarettes butts on all surfaces and in all places (the ash-trays are yet to be introduced in this country), and as long as women and children continue to be maltreated or beaten up, and animals tortured....our accession to Europe does not seem very plausible. ... Those luckier than us and more educated and with a higher regard for cultural norms, have acceded to Europe and or are getting ready for the EU membership. But as the things stand now, and in view of the fact that our mind-set has not changed an iota in the past two or three centuries, we are facing another Serbian golgota or a Milica Stevanović thorny road upon which we have to embark in order to make it finally to the (Kragujevac) civilized world. The only good aspect of the aforementioned conduct, is that we could proclaim the cheese pie, barbecued meat, brandy, Guca trumpet festival and authentic weddings our genuine brands, without even slightly worrying that anyone would even try to steal our copyright. LIGHT TO LIFE...

very new day welcomes us with its light. People get feelings, which Ecannot be scrutinized or explained by useless and suspicious words. We live totally devoted to the time around us; we love by devoting ourselves to the loved one. We are stringing together a necklace each pearl of which is one, sacrosanct part of our life. We rarely dare utt er anything for the words always mean the opposite of what we want. Tomorrow someone may discover a new speech, and someone may not even try to do it. For our own good we must clothe it in thoughts. For it is the language of meaning. There is always something resembling a quiet farewell. Intertwining games make me notice that. So do fables which we to date have beautifully spun. But fables start increasingly losing trust in us. Our needs are increasingly unmet, and we increasingly grow lonelier, disappointed, hurt and broken. Nothing can be added to the present. Therefore we only have the future, that is why we now dream of it and write about it. it. Let us fi ght for each other and write down the future as early as today. Let us fi ght side by side; let us be connected by mutual understanding, love, trust, sincerity and warmth. ... For the sake of our bett er tomorrow! Countless places are waiting for us, and we can arrive anywhere. In our hand bound by love every touch shall be tamed and soft . And if by sheer lack of att ention we try to kill something, we shall fail, for every thing we touch shall be turned into a living being.

20 21 young authors

We “run” and meet our other self, we are gett ing lost in our deep inner selves like drops of light! We search for our own identity, inspiration, authenticity. Rare are those who understand the boundary of freedom, and even more rare those who understand the freedom of that boundary. Eskimos say: “Don’t build a door bigger than the house”. That would be like building windows smaller than eyes. If sometimes during the struggle for our rights we slip or trip, let us not treat it as the fall into a chasm, but rather as an ascent to higher realms. Andraš Juhas The fact is that people bow to persuasion. That persuasion is oft wrong. (Novi Sad) Therefore let us not allow the truth to fall asleep. Let us not close the door before the voices of our wishes. Let us express in red and green colour “terrible” human passions ... Let us not be swayed by someone whose face is not bathed in light. Let us believe in realization of our goals and let us bear in mind the possibility that WHERE IS OUR COUNTRY HEADED every gesture of ours may be just an illusion. Just like the world, which shows us diff erent faces depending on the angle from which our eyes view it. To the one whom I hopefully watch in the mirror, I am the hope, which he views from his own world. I don’t believe in anything, which is perceivable only from the one side of sight. 0’s are gone forever. We are 10 years older, poorer, and truly. „9That is the price of our stupidity and of our irresponsibility.” In the 90’s I was six years old. I did not know what the society was, what a political party was, what a President was. I was unaware of existence of those things, and of the fact that some people, other than my parents, infl uenced my life. But I knew that the following year I would start going to school. In the 90’s I found it odd that some relatives of ours and also our neighbours were leaving our country for good. I did not understand the reasons of their leaving; I lived without a care in the world. That fall I started school and my parents were increasingly talking about a war. I remembered war from fi lms and its indication for me were also the persons who had left the country the previous years. Suddnely I sensed the reason of their leaving... It is said that my generation too early started „dealing with politics”. But none of us, children, was in fact involved in politics, we just talked about it. I don’t know if it was good or bad, but nonetheless it was the reality. I recall that in the early 90’s, perhaps in 1993, my parents, with some posters in their hands, took to the streets every night. I wanted to go with them, but they refused to take me. Later they told me that they affi xed those posters with photographs of university professors Ivan Đurić and Tibor Varadi, the persons, who according to them, would one day dislodge Milosevic. And then, I realized for the fi rst time the meaning of the word „politics”. I understood it as the struggle of some people against evil. Of course, then I also had that

22 23 young authors selected essays (2) sudden urge to become a Politician. To fi ght for the good things, to put the For the democracy to truly exist, we must be cured of „we-need-a- state in order. Children’s naivite is just wonderful. leader complex”. I am electing my representative in the Serb parliament. I grew up in the pessimistic mood of an uphill struggle of my He works for me, and not vice versa. Citizens let their representatives run parents and their like-minded peers. Thank God I could not understand their the state. Since they are paid for that job, they are responsible for good and pessimism. But when I enrolled at the secondary school I was fi nally able smooth running of the state aff airs before those very citizens. As you see that is to take part in „the struggle for bett er things”. My ideal was the movement a very simple principle. Unfortunately our „democratic authorities” have not „Resistance”. So I started distributing leafl ets and affi xing posters without yet manifested their readiness to educate public opinion, to turn it into a truly a clear idea of the political situation in my country, without the political democratic one. It is a paradox, isn’t it? Every new historical period in Serbia knowledge, and even without the need to acquire it. And the foregoing was is riddled with the long-standing, or rather age-old problem: uneducated, due to my unwitt ing decision to be guided by emotions. I believed that the gullible, uncritical and even-in-poverty-conformistic citizens (as manifested revolution was useful, I believed that Changes would be eff ected if a very in their continual lamenting and passivity). That problem is above all resolved large number of us shouted and whistled on the streets. by –education. Perhaps I am wrong, but that is a fi rm stance of mine. And we „won” on 5 October. Now I feel somewhat ashamed of that „To change Serbia, each of us must change a bit...” ... „I ask you, all of futile period of my life. I was naive and lazy. As a child I did not believe in you, individually, to say when you wake up: I am glad, another day is before existence of Father Christmas so, as a secondary-school pupil, how could I me! I have a chance to do something today.” ... „You must motivate yourself, possible believe in revolution? you must motivate your team-mates.” „To put it frankly an average citizen does not have the whole picture: It is oft said that the mind-set is the main culprit. Serbia needs a leader, namely he or she does now know where is our country headed, what is team work is not applicable in Serbia. We should slow down our journey to happening to us? Somehow everything seems like a cracked mirror?” Europe, because we are the Balkans people, diff erent from Westerners, etc. I It took us a decade to close our ranks and to massively move against don’t quite understand the impact of mind-set on the reform process. If we are Slobodan Milosevic and his stooges. Thus the physical preconditions for aware that our so-called mind-set is our main obstacle, then why aren’t serious the Changes were fi nally met. But what lacked were the intellectual ones. I att empts and eff orts made to change it? We have some social problems which agree with the opinion that masses of people were compelled by the survival date back to the Middle Ages. One of our major problems are too obedient instinct to vote against the Milosevic regime. They voted for they felt that if citizens, citizens who bow too much to the authorities. nothing changed their lives would be imperiled. I stress: they were motivated Citizens make up a state. If an average citizen becomes more by instincts and feelings. Many failed to pose the following question: why educated, more self-conscious, more dilligent, the foundations of the state are should we replace Slobodan Milošević? What shall we achieve with the regime strenghtened. It acquires new, major qualities. Reforms in Serbia shall not be change? What can we expect from the future authorities? What lacked was the implemented by force. If there is no need for new standards, for learning and awareness of the true character of situation in Serbia in the year 2000, what work, if there is no readiness to accept new standards, then...I don’t know lacked was the awareness of implications of the upcoming transition, what what should be done in such a situation. lacked was the need to think. But despite the lack of intellectual pondering Instead of the state-run TV media stranglehold, now we have of the Changes, we say that on 5 October in Serbia Democracy emerged as tabloidization of public opinion. „Kurir” is the most widely read daily, in a winner. And citizens guided only by instincts expected Messianic abilities schools we are still taught myths, rather than historic facts, the old project of from that Democracy. perpetuation of quasi-history is still in place. „And our adoption of democracy, our direction towards economic In Israel, due to across-the board-poverty, the state church took over reforms, our option for Europe are not in fact guaranteed. We just have a an important role in education of children. The said institution off ers gratis chance to do that, but that chance could be quickly gambled away.” schooling, bed and board; the price thereof is total obedience of citizens. They To put it bluntly, I „started thinking” when I became a student. Three bow to the church authorities who play a major political role. I don’t know years aft er the Changes I was compelled to admit to myself that the „promised who has voted for the Serb Orthodox Church, but it is clearly more active politicy” was not pursued and that my dreams of a sound and fertile than most political parties. Isn’t that situation slightly reminiscent of the one democratic society would not be translated into practice by anyone. in Israel?

24 25 young authors

„You are a young man, so I tell you to turn towards the future. Look towards the future, for there you and I shall meet, since I intend to live in the future.” You know, autumn is a strange season. Every autumn the nature primes itself for a long sleep. I love autumn. It makes me think, it makes me healthily and moderately optimistic. For me the autumn is the season of renewal, of necessary alteration of elements which make up a whole... In history all the major revolutions happened in the autumn. So did our revolution. Society is exhausted from such events, so perhaps it needs a reinvigorating sleep. Perhaps such things happen in the autumn, so that we could sleep them over during the winter. But in Serbia that winter has lasted Irena Đorđević far too long. (Kragujevac)

(All quotations are words of Zoran Đinđić from Aleksandar Mandić’s fi lm “If Serbia grinds to a standstill”) DEMOCRACY

hen writing his “State”, Plato had in mind a collective Wconscience in a termite-like community. We must agree that every community is confusing. On the other hand if we analyze the gist of the notion of democracy, starting with interpretation of the very meaning of that word, we should not allow the most free interpretation, that is, the one that implies the rule of people. Opposite of democracy is birth of anarchy, which inevitably leads to social turmoil and chaos. Democracy should be understood as a verse in which each of us may fi nd oneself. If we stick to basic norms of conduct and culture, we acquire composure, which usually brings us peace and happiness. Some would perhaps say that the respect of norms and some principles is tantamount to limitation of liberty, that respect of others is tantamount to humiliation of oneself. But such a line of thinking is oblivious of a fl exible stance towards all the things and beings that surround us. Acceptance of the will of citizens is democracy. Of course that will is the most adequate and valid parameter for prosperity of the majority on global plane. Respect of the popular will implies the respect of people, state and future. Rights and liberties, as well as obligations of citizens are regulated and guaranteed by the Constitution. But a clear boundary should be drawn

26 27 young authors between rights and liberties, on the one hand, and obligations on the second hand, in order to avoid negative eff ects of the will. Rights and liberties are also stipulated by other acts, notably, the Act on Health Protection and Protection at Work, the Act on Protection of Environment, the Act on Public Order and Peace, etc. I would not like to insist on the youthful interpretation of “democracy” in terms of the rights and liberties we exercise at home or in school, for I think that the others are duty-bound to take care of us, by backing what the citizens Mara Živkov want and by translating into reality plans for the bett er future. (Beograd) As we have all learnt in our schools theoreticians’ only espouse their theoretical pondering of democracy, while a person in order to see these thoughts transferred into the practice must understand all the limits and boundaries, which he or she has been imposed. Splendor of democracy is best refl ected in its implementation. To FOR THE LITERATE ONLY enforce a writt en law is a much more diffi cult task than to bear the burden of thinking about freedom. Of course in distant past we talked about physical freedom, today we talk about freedom to think and express oneself without sanctioning of any step or lett er of ours. In fact democracy is the basis for sett ing up a ideal community in every day life. And that is so because I have here are two inextricably linked problems to which, in my the right to freely think and freely expose my thoughts to my parents. I oft en mind, proper attention has not been paid: one problem concerns have discussions with them, I usually ask them about their opinions, but they T the control over the media and accessibility of (un)true information, while also feel the need to ask me about my opinions. Sometimes our opinions diff er, the other concerns population to which the said information is conveyed. but we must tolerate such occasions. Every single person has his or her rights, I shall furthermore try to quote several examples from history indicating but survival of democratic relations hinges also on tolerance. And school is how the elite-controlled media concocted so many lies and prejudices to one large, democratic community. Sometimes pupils misuse their rights, and make the vastly illiterate population committ terrible crimes. because of their immoral conduct confl icts emerge and the authority of the In this post-modern wave which has engulfed us, information is elderly and professors is substantively challenged. I allow my professors to the principal tool in the battles which we wage in markets and in public encourage a free fl ow of my thoughts, their birth, development and realization. life. But what happens when the available data are wrong? Who are those Then I feel independent and creative. Then I am full of initiative. I am pleased who decide on the extent of our knowledge and what is the reach of their with myself and my parents and my school are pleased with me. influence? Are we in fact aware of the magnitude of media-controllers and We all know Aristotle’s thoughts on democracy, but I was never asked the ways they used their power in the past? what I thought about that notion. Thus I have the right to write democracy in A belated research study laid bare a terrible truth, which even the this way. greatest pessimists did not expect: nearly half of Serbia’s population is functionally illiterate, that is has serious problems with literacy (cannot sign any document, cannot read any written text let alone understand it...). Why are these findings so alarming? Because it is easy to manipulate such a population, feed it with half-baked information or even the doctored or fake one. Then one must pose the following question: is this large group of functionally illiterate people able to think critically and what are the consequences of that ability or inability of theirs on this society. Unfortunately, despite communication achievements of the 21st century

28 29 young authors selected essays (2)

– great accesibility of all kinds of the print and electronic media and the Is it right to assume that in the media realm in Serbia there was a Internet, present-day citizens of Serbia seem to be same citiznes who in certain turnaround after the so-called 5 October revolution? Are the media the early 90’s of the 20th century went to war without asking too many more professional today than in the pre-5 October period or they are still questions. Namely, stances of the less educated and less literate people represented by the same Milosevic-influenced journalists from the times are more easily shaped in turbulent times, during social upheavals. of TV Bastille who now have only a different master? What has clearly Power-holders can easily play with their age-old fear of internal foes remained unchanged is the ability of the media to create a social climate and threatening neigbours, doctor “the historic truths”, revive existing usually befitting very exclusive interests of power centers. stereotypes about minority groups, and, finally, issue the basic guidelines Social climate is an intangible category or notion, but it plays a for actions targeting a clearly defined enemy. Such a process of shaping major role in shaping stances of people. Those stances consequently either public opinion is not simple at all. It exacts a good ideological blueprint activate them or lull them into conviction that their non-action, from the which can be later used for explicating any new situation. Xenophobia and moral standpoint, is good or justifiable. However, the above mentioned general paranoia which dominated the public discourse in the 90’s in Serbia social mood may become quite a tangible category once one resorts to a represented only the basic material, which was later easy to apply during, critical analysis of the media contents, once one tots up all the public calls for example, the 1999 bombing campaign. In the same way Hitler adujsted to lynch, or their even more obvious consequences. In a certain social mood the blueprint of Jews, as principal foes of dying German economy in the people grow relaxed, they become conformists and most certainly think 30’s of the 20th century, to the new circumstances of the WW2 by alleging that they are acting in the right way in view of identical stands manifested that Jews in conjunction with the Soviet Bolshevics were trying to destroy by the leading media. And if such calls to lynch and violence are approved the German people. I am intentionally drawing a parallel between the two and even instigated, then a catharsis once the deed is done is –glaring. The cases for in both of them the war-mongering blueprint played a major role. two most conspicuous examples of the aforementioned are Slavko Ćuruvija The gist of wars was spurring on of national intolerance, that is, of ethnic and Zoran Đinđić, whose deaths were very much publicly instigated and prejudices by politicians for the sake of realization of their selfish goals. In announced. both cases, those politicians used as their main tool all the media. And the Demonstrations in Belgrade, Niš and Novi Sad during the March group most susceptible to the war propaganda and war goals were and are 2004 riots in Kosovo amply indicated the existence of a grouping ready uneducated people, because of their propensity to react only emotionally. to quickly respond to the situation depicted in the press or by TV by And the then power-holders played successfully with emotions of that very strong language and in very strong colours. In other words to an large group. an emotionally highly charged event. We were also witnesses of the In the early 30’s of the 20th century when Hitler came to power in existence of social groups ready to rally in no time in order to torch the Germany, he totally controlled information released to the general public. In oldest Islamic institution in Belgrade-the Belgrade mosque and also the such circumstances of an active anti-Semitic campaign, the terrible impact Niš mosque thanks to the tacit, official greenlighting of violent responses of the media on population fully emerged. In his book “Ordinary People” and outbursts. Added do that some electronic media openly incited such Christopher Browning explained the crimes committed during the WW2 citizens’ response to the Kosovo riots as as a form of “support” to Kosovo- by ordinary Germans. He also stressed that many of them were induced Serbs. to committ such atrocities by substantive information manipulation Torching of the mosque exemplified inability of our society to conducted by Hitler and his party. He went as far as to maintain that the respond with a cool head or rationally to violence, showed “justifiability” war compounded with omni-present Nazi ideology sufficed to convince of religious minorities-targeting counter-violence and indicated both the ordinary Germans of justifiability of killing innocent Jewish women and power of the media and population’s susceptibility to that power. It is scary children! even to think that this society would not be able to perceive some future The same system of stereotype misuse was put in place by Slobodan (or currently burning) problems and potential conflicts, and consequently Milosevic in late 90’s of 20th century. Milosevic, furthermore, used the respond to them in a calm, critical and rational way, as befits a civil society. media to effect ideological indoctrination of population at large. The afore-mentioned response can be expected only from a society which is But what is the character of the current media situation in Serbia? on a higher level of social awareness. And that level is yet to be reached by

30 31 young authors this society. In my mind, the most responsible for the foregoing is the local intellectual elite, which stances should exert most influence on the general public, and whose members should criticize calls to lynch and violence, while strongly promoting moral values on which any democratic society must be founded.

Tamara Stojković (Novi Sad)

DIFFERENCES AND VALUES AS A CHALLENGE

First they took away the Jews. But I did not protest for I was not a Jew. Then they took away the communists. And not being a Communist, I did not protest. Then they took away the trade-union activists. And I did not protest for I was not a trade-union activist. Then they took away me. But there was no-one to protest against that.

Pastor Niemöller Victim of Nazis

orld-wide the innocent become victims just because the “Wcolour of their skin is different from the one characterizing those who punish and convict them, just because they struggle for different values, just because they espouse different religious and political ideas, just because they belong to other cultures, or simply lead a different life from the one led by the majority of citizens in their accidental milieu.” Can you imagine how our life would be more beautiful and fuller if the basis for the understanding of the diff erent, were more solid tolerance and co-operation?

32 33 young authors selected essays (2)

Unfortunately in recent years in our streets and on facades of our actions are based on civic solidarity without which civic, democratic state is buildings we could notice fascist, chauvinistic and nationalistic grafitti. not feasible. If someone’s rights are endangered dont’t tell yourself that it is Representatives of local authorities were not quick the perceive the meaning not your concern, notably because one day you may find yourself in exactly of those messages while a large number of citiznes were simply not interested the same situation. in them. And those street messages are only the top of the iceberg. In one verse of his song “Piece of Life” Gabriel Garsia Marques thus What exemplified Vojvodina for centuries and strengthened its speaks: “I have learnt that every man has the right to look down on other specific character were its linguistic and cultural differences. The latter people when he should help them get up on their feet.” That is the gist of always presented a challenge for it citizens in their effort to to maintain and the story about multiculturality, about how in order to achieve a healthy develop Vojvodina sa a specific and unique region. Due to conflicts, crisis life one should only feel and act like a man, about how the open-minded and wars which in which this region was engulfed, all what was called the attitude and curiosity, and ability to question many things and accept them, traditional cultural wealth was damaged. We now even face an alarming to give and to love, are the values which from the first people, from the time situation in which both the majority and minority are very poorly informed immemorial, through the entire stormy currents of history of civilization, about the others, their problems, necessities and demands. To make the have not changed, for there were no objective and acceptable reasons for things worse due to the across-the-board disintegration and isolation the their disappearance. wish to know more about “the other” is well nigh non-extant. Tolerance is equal to endurance. It is not a “lesser faire” attitude, but rather endurance of something which bothers us, which we don’t like, which we disapprove of. The entire human life requires tolerance among people. At the level of community and culture we should cherish and encourage respect for the others. Tolerance is the issue of the basics of common survival, and the former can succeed, only if it is mutual. It seems to me that of primary importance is the issue of tolerance, notably in multicultural and multinational societies, which are not homogenous in national, religious or cultural terms. Tolerance, however, has its limits which we should not trespass. No-one has the right to proclaim that “different is bad”, for when we lose the right to be different we lose the right to be free. Struggle for implementation of human rights is a long-term job, and to carry it out successfully, we need persistence, decisivneess and knowledge. Two things are making that struggle more difficult. On the other side there are citizens who are not persistent enough, who become disheartened after the first failures, and gave up on the combat for implementation of human rights. The second reason is a decade-long, citizens’ fear of authorities. In our country people respect if not ouright revere the authority of power-holders and official/elected authorities. That is OK, but it should not be done at any cost. In fact, it should not be done when the authorities abuse their power. In order to genuinely and seriously kick-start the struggle for realization of human rights we must be rid of the fear of authorities. Authorities must be respected, but we must realize that they exist because of us, that they live at our expense, that we pay them, that they must serve us, and not vice versa. If we embrace that line of thinking we shall be more successful in the first stage of both individual and collective struggle for human rights. Collective

34 35 selected essays (2)

caves. However in the historic period accelerated discovery cum development of new tools and emergence of new lifestyles and relations provided for a succession of monumental changes. Namely, big changes once occurring every age or era, now happen every decade. Hence it can be expected that work tools would be so perfected that the human, physical labor would be reduced to the minimum, or rather thanks to automation and robotization unfold exclusively on the intellectual level. Scientifi c and technological inventions Tij ana Vladisavljević shall cease to be the privilege of single states, and swift ly become general (Novi Pazar) good of the whole world. That particularly applies to the widespread use of new planes, computers, cell phones. Promotion of science and technology and massive use of their products shall bring about educational reforms, expert specializations, swift changes in professions according to personal inclinations, and access to much broader education. Illiteracy shall be totally FUTURE, HUMAN LIBERTIES eradicated in the whole world, and new forms of literacy shall be introduced allowing people to quickly communicate at long distances. By extension a new AND RIGHTS universal language shall emerge, while local languages shall be used only in local communities. The harbinger of such a development is the current, global use of Internet. By extension such a universal communication shall accelerate circulation of commodities, ideas, and people. Prejudices about other peoples, races and faiths like any intolerance t is very challenging to speak about future, because it is a subject- of human diff erences shall be relegated to the historical garbage. Unifi cation Imatt er, which exacts a serious and in-depth approach and visionary of diverse national cultures shall be done in conjunction with desirable ability. That presupposes a lengthier paper than the nature and purpose of this preservation of positive traditional values. essay allow. Thus one should take into consideration only the key processes As a logical consequence of the predicted progress, conditions of life and changes in the mid-century with their brief description. and lifestyles shall be radically improved in underdeveloped parts of the world There is a methodological diffi culty, which can easily mislead us and and shall result in a general well-being. It is hoped that all the known diseases make us commit serious errors, for there are no exact and proven indicators in mid-21st century shall become curable or even eradicated. Human age shall of the future changes. To avoid being prophets in such a serious matt er, it is be signifi cantly prolonged, thus approaching its biological new limit. necessary to use the current experiences, that is deduction and intuition when Civilization shall move towards creation of smaller cities to which the drawing conclusions. rural population shall fl ock. In parallel the growth of megalopolis shall be If relations on the local and global level continue to develop like in slowed down. Living conditions between cities and villages shall be equalized. recent history, that is, in order to prevent radical changes of that course, or, in All along human rights and liberties shall be promoted, and discrimination other words, slowed down development, involution, or even an unexpected shall be curbed and morally rejected. Relations between people in normal, acceleration, we can say with great certainty that the world in the mid-21st daily life, shall be humanized, and people shall become taller, more beautiful century shall have the shape described in further text. and shall dress bett er. Friedrich Engels said: “Duration of historical age with respect to Psychological and moral changes in people shall be such that they shall duration of pre-historic age is similar to the relation between one minute start thinking quickly, become more deft , more compassionate and emphatic, versus the whole human life.” As it is well-known in pre-historic age progress and stop perceiving other people as foes or rivals. in development of society was refl ected by invention of work tools, and Democracy as a notion and practice shall not be linked to single hunting lifestyle and economy. In that very long period people used tools democratic states, but shall rather become an achievement of all peoples made of bones and stones, engaged in hunting and they lived in groups in and states. On global level democratic institutions shall function, the world

36 37 young authors selected essays (2) government shall be engendered by the United Nations and many non- maturing of people and their communities shall contribute to fl ourishing of government organizations like the Red Cross shall be operational too. civil liberties and human rights, while inequality between races, nations and It is thought that by the mid-21st century new energy sources, notably faiths, and sexes shall remain only as an ugly memory of the archaic period of the wind, solar and nuclear energy shall be tapped into. Space research shall social development. become commonplace in the world, and space travel shall have positive eff ects When all the aforementioned is summarized and connected to the for the mankind. Opportunities shall be created to employ a large number of upcoming fantastic achievements of the mid-21st century in conjunction talented and genial individuals in all scientifi c and artistic fi elds for the sake with foreseeable and unforeseeable trends, which some futurologists see as of the common progress. the sources of possible apocalypse, my optimistic conviction is that positive Large-scale peaceful coexistence and pacifi cation shall bring about trends shall continue to grow, and that the human ration shall timely perceive the end of confl icts and confl icts of civilizations or reduce them to a sporadic and prevail over apocalyptic predictions. occurrence. The present-day local and world wars (so far there were thousands of them) have so much absorbed natural and human resources and caused backsliding in the general progress, that the powers to be shall decide to put a stop to that social phenomenon. History so far was awash with examples indicating how every single positive achievement in human society was misused and manipulated to lead to paradoxes. That opinion was voiced by Albert Einstein: “Aft er the nuclear war people shall wage wars with cavemen weapons”. A good example is contamination of the human environment due to hyper-production. Emission of carbon-dioxide from phosphate fuels gave rise to contamination 100 time greater then the permitt ed one. All those emissions created the perilous green- house eff ect, which increasingly warms up the atmosphere, causes disastrous climatic changes, and damages the ozone layer. In consequence of all those processes in mid-21st century many animal and plant species shall become extinct, the new, lethal diseases shall aff ect the entire mankind, and mutations among many species shall increase. Nuclear radiation and consequently the danger of accidents like the Chernobyl one with disastrous, long-term consequences shall also increase. Furthermore one of the consequences of that accelerated, high development of society shall be overcrowding of our planet and higher population density in many areas, as well as depletion of natural resources (reserves of oil, clean water, coal, wood, desertifi cation ...). Acceleration of history, abrupt changes in life and work conditions may jeopardize physical, psychological and social integrity of humans. . Human stay in isolated housing agglomerations and means of transport shall result in atrophy of vital organs. Humans shall not be also able to adjust psychologically to accelerated and complicated processes in contemporary plants, akin to enormous prisons. Despite everything the aforementioned processes shall be stopped, purity of nature shall be preserved, and material preconditions signifi cantly promoted. Technical-technological development as well as cultural-civilized

38 39 selected essays (2)

traitors was occupied by Draga Mašin, together with Austrians and Germans. In the late 20th century the objects of the Serb hatred were: Albanians, then Slovenians (for an indeed short period of time), Croats and Bosniaks, then Albanians anew, and Americans (as representatives of the whole Western hemisphere) too. In early 21st century another domestic traitor was found. He was killed in front of his office on 12th March 2003. He was labelled a criminal for trying to switch on the light in Serbia. Ivan Kuzminović After the regime change in January 2004, the whole NGO sector, to (Beograd) put it precisely 3 or 4 organizations and to put it most precisely – 4 women became the object of hatred. Their names are well known. They represented the latest prototype of enemy. “They are dangerous”, “they are powerful”, “they are trying to destroy us”. NGOs have been active in Serbia for at least 10-15 years. Therefore MUCH-NEEDED FOES they are not a new social phenomenon. Even during the Milosevic era their work was not a novelty for the authorities and citizens alike. During Milosevic regime the NGO sector was a hindrance for the authorities, but a hindrance which was not considered too perilous. Only in the year 2000 the authorities took repressive steps against NGOs. The brunt of the official e all have our “natural” foes. My foe is an old woman who clampdown bore OTPOR (Resistance) which was labelled a NATO branch Wthrows her garbage bag every day directly from ther eighth- office, the fifth column and its young members were tailed, arrested, and floor flat onto the street. Hilter’s foes were Jews, Vietnamese were foes harassed by the repressive state apparatus. of Americans, and Russian foes were Americans. Michelangelo’s foe was Only after the 5th of October 2000 NGOs were vested in a new, quite Rafaello, David’s was Goliath, and the foe of baby Maggy’s from “The imaginary authority and role. According to the authorities, NGOs became a Simpsons” was the other baby with thick eyebrows. strong centre of power in a small country, and its representatives were tasked In other words, people need enemies. It is necessary to channel the fury with depicting Serbia as a very bad place by using, according to politicians, and discontent with one’s own life. In the process, the true basis of that hatred very illegitimate means, doctored facts and figures, false witnesses, and and is not important. That hatred may be quite irrational (which is most oft en doctored history. Accordingly it was implied that their motive was pure the case) or be based on competition aimed at conquering some resources, in greed for the good old greenbucks or European Euros. which process, I suppose, that hatred acquires some rational elements. Both the regime and opposition alike via media succeeded in So who is the object of the Serb hatred? In fact, the list of those convincing citizens of Serbia that representatives of NGO sector are a very objects is long, so we shall try to summarize it. Interestingly enough, in the dangerous phenomenon. So recently, Head of the Security-Information last 150 years the object of their hatred changed. First, the Serbs hated Turks. Agency (SIA) Rade Bulatović informed us that the security situation in Objects of hatred were not obviously only the people, but also individuals. Serbia was good because his services were tapping and surveilling NGO Thus Vuk Branković was the most hated personality of the Serb history, sector!? Several days ago I asked my colleague in Zagreb if he could imagine though that hatred was totally unrelated to the critical history. Then the a situation in which the Croat Information Agency woud publicly disclose Serbs hated Bulgarians and Macedonians. Throughout the 19th century the that it was tapping or tailing, for example, Žarko Puhovski? And my Serb intellectuals, the organicistic theory-minded ones numbered all the colleague burst into laughter. reasons which should make us hate Bulgarians, Jews, Macedonians, and So politicians in conjunction with Milosevic’s secret services and even GREEKS! media have been informing us for weeks via press features about misdeeds In the 20th century our enemies became other personalities and other of those secret organizations. Their sources of financing, their goals and peoples. In early years of that century the high-ranking place on the list of motives.

40 41 young authors selected essays (2)

Sociologically speaking, these organizations are consciously ascribed power in another form, namely in the form of a publicly spoken word. social power, which they either don’t have or have very little, depending on Unfortunately it turned out that even such sort of influence was not allowed. the definition of power which we consider the most valid. In other words, it is quite legitimate that the assassin of Prime Minister of What is a social power? the country publishes a book from his prison cell, that war criminals write Here’s a classic definition by the top sociologist Max Weber: power poems for children, and that for the committed war crimes each war criminal is gauged by prospects of a single men or a certain number of men to gets 500,000 Euro of compensation. However, to say that something is wrong implement their will within the framework of a joint action, even despite the with our recent past or with our society, or that Serbia is in a deep crisis, well resistance of others who take part in that action. that is immediately considered - a crime. Here’s another, more modern intepretation of the notion of power by And how do the authorities deal with the unlike-minded? Michael Mann: to put it succinctly he thinks that power is the ability to attain They use two methods. The first one aims at proving that those goals by prevailing over the environment. He notes two forms of power: movements are not legitimate. That method of proving their illegitimacy a) distributive power – as an ability of individual to make others help is per se legitimate. That part of combat is fair. But, when the state and its him in realization of his goals; apparatus start proving illegitimacy of a movement, that is quite another b) collective power – as an ability of social groups to demonstrate story, because in that effort they maintain that those organizations are acting their power over other groups. against the country’s security, or engaging in organized undermining of Now let us apply those basic definitions on concrete cases. Therefore the constitutional order, or even lobbying against the country. That process the power of, for example, Biljana Kovačević Vučo would be that she alone of proving illegitimacy of those movements consists of filing criminal (or with organization she is heading - YUCOM) makes the other individual charges against them, and notably of their public demonization, inlcuding or other group of individuals to do something against their will. Even more publication of various files and records kept by different secret services. concretely let us imagine Vuco trying to MAKE Kostunica lay off, for example, To put it briefly, if the two parties are in a dispute and therefore stage Velja Ilić from the post of the Capital Investments Minister. Such a move a public, arguments- or semi-arguments -founded showdown, that is OK, would be prompted by assessment of the Jurists’ Committee that actions of but if someone’s home address is published in a news article, that is quite that minister are dangerous for Serbia. Thus to make her intention come true another matter. That is a call to lynch. she must have certain power. Now we shall again resort to Mann’s theory, but this time around from the angle of source of power. In other words that * * * power must be based on any of the following sources of power: economic power (to bribe Koštunica), ideological (the power of ideas and convictions And finally a word or two about the NGO sector, “as the new social reflected in persuading Prime Minister of Serbia by dint of arguments): that project”. Ilic is a bad minister, that he kicks journalists, that he cusses, that he buys It is absurd to consider the work of NGOs one of the biggest problems M.A. diplomas, political power (to use the state apparatus in order to compel of modern Serbia. For some modern sociologists the very existence of those Kostunica to make that move) and finally, the coercion power (to that end to organizations is a sign of a political turnround in contemporary societies. use physical power on Democratic Party of Serbia and Kostunica). Thus Simon Hallsworth in his book “Understanding New Social Projects”, I would say that it was not likely that she had access to any of the considers the femminist, environmental protection and anti-nuclear aforementioned sources of power. She could not bribe the Prime Minister movements, and also the civil rights movments, as modern social projects. of Serbia (it is a well-known truth that he is an honest man), also it is not As regards the movements focusing on the civic society and civil very likely that she could have convinced him of the foregoing; furthemore rights, he is of opinion that the basic goal of those movements is the she does not have access to the state apparatus, and in her case the tools of following: struggle for improvement of rights of the socially marginalized physical forces are beyond her reach, or supefluous (I rather doubt that Ms. groups, notably, women, ethnic minorities and homosexuals. Vuco is an expert in Kohler and Koh sniper-guns). Namely, he thinks that those organizations represent a move forward The intention of this short essay is to prove the falseness of claims in the society with respect to political parties, and that they introduce a new that those organizations are indeed so powerlful. However they possess quality in the daily life of modern societies.

42 43 To put it briefly, the state as an institution repeatedly manifested its inability (or disinterest) to deal with those groups in the society which require most attention: disabled, sexual minorities, ethnic minorities, and human rights in general. And that is exactly the realm which the NGO sector covers. The sooner the authorities grasp that truth, the better for them and for all the citizens they represent. Ivan Kovačević (Kragujevac)

GENERATION LOST IN FOG

WHY? It would be quite logical that we, as members of younger generation, be turned towards our future, towards what is likely to improve our communication with the world, with the lifestyle which, in view of our age, belongs to us. Unfortunately our growing up process, our childhood, our youth, were marked by bombs, war, devastation, suff ering, and consequences thereof, which prevented us from growing up in a normal social milieu and mood. WHY? While att ending this seminar I read that the winner of the competition for the best essay would be awarded with the trip to to Dubrovnik. That brought forth my early childhood memories and photos of my stay with my parents at the seaside, in Dubrovnik. Video camera then recorded my fi rst, unsure steps on the cobblestone of Stradun, fl ocks of doves which I fed, and my swimming failures in a choppy sea. I then did not know that the sea was Croat or Serb, that Dubrovnik was the Croat or Serb port! Then I could not know it, and even today I am not interested in such information. But what I managed to learn in the meantime was the fact that until very recently I could not travel to Dubrovnik. And that nagged me! WHY? Why am I and my generation “punished” for something we did not take part in? Why we are no longer able to travel the world, to know the world, to familiarize with our peers living in other countries? Today I already

44 45 young authors selected essays (2) know a lot about what has happened in the country once called Yugoslavia. I still heard. Both footballers played for the Italian team, but also for themselves was born in that country! I acquired knowledge about the country which no the rules of the game are clear-only the best remain! In this country those longer exists, and deep-buried memories have started resurfacing. Sarajevo who have remained are either those too young or too old. That is why no-one with its bands “Bij elo dugme” and “Zabranjeno pušenje”, Zagreb and its goes to football matches, for only the worst players have remained. Fervent “Srebrna krila” and Boris Novković, Split and its singer Dino Dvornik, Skoplje and violent football fans are now having a ball, for they can indulge in and its superb musician Vlatko Stefanovski and his rock band “Leb i sol”... heavy fi ghting even during the matches. And that is what gangs of “Delij e”, Even today I am listening to them, and place them where they belong, to the “Varvari”, “Grobari”, “Đavoli”, “Bad blue boys” do. The best have left ! category of musicians. Only by a sheer twist of fate they are Croats, Bosniaks, WHY? Serbs, Macedonians, but I am not interested in that part of their biography. I Why I am writing all this? am interested in the identity of those who want to compel us to think about I am writing all this because I want a new photo of mine on Stradun. those musicians origins, faiths, and nationality while we are listening to them My steps are now fi rmer and I know what I want. ? For me it is inconceivable to listen to good music and think about origins and I learnt to swim well, and now I can cope with big waves running against whereabouts of the band members or singers! me. WHY? I want to live my life to the full both in daytime and night-time. In Kragujevac the generation to which I belong goes out around I want to know what is happening everywhere in the world, I want to know midnight. The same phenomenon occurs in Belgrade and other cities in Serbia even if I cannot travel, but let my choice be respected. I want to listen to the and elsewhere. Some go to cafes and discos, some take to the streets with a music of my choice, and not only the one which has a “patriotic” value. syringe or ecstasy pills in their pockets, some are engaging in beer or vodka- I want to have friends everywhere, to work and co-operate with everyone, swilling sessions. Until the wee morning hours we loiter the city streets, as if I were a member of the team belonging to the Italian or any other First looking for fun. We are in a perpetual vicious circle, escaping from what the League. Day brings us: parents who for decades now are struggling to survive, to I was fi rst born as a human being, and only later my name was entered into ensure us the minimal existence, always worried and disgruntled parents; the citizens’ registry. equally disgruntled professors in schools who try to provide us with the Basically, I have been registered in the book of the citizens of the world. minimum of knowledge and not only to mete out to us good or bad marks; the That is why I want that photo from Stradun! media bombarding us with always the same topics, empty debates or show-biz kitch; the press awash with sensational stories about security leaks, scandals, and crimes, with headlines which are sometimes even worse than the crimes themselves! Our response to all that was to escape into the cover of Dark, into the night, in which all these things exist, but are not seen. And then on top of everything they level accusations at us that we are a generation which only takes drugs, listens to trancemusic and does not want to learn or work! My generation is neither bett er or worse than the one of my peers in Germany, Italy or France, but we grew up in a milieu which we have not created. For which we are not guilty. Courts of law, the time and history should have the fi nal and just say, but can we wait until that fi nal judgment is passed? WHY ? I watched a football match of the Italian Premier League. Both a Serb and a Croat played in the same team. They were so good that their scoring decided the match in favor of their team. Then a Croat and a Serb hugged each other, while in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, sporadic shooting was

46 47 selected essays (2)

Then they tried to kill me. By bombs, by bullets. And then I was left alone. That is nearly alone, for you were always by my side. They took my other friends by dint of some scandals, false or true (I still don’t know), blackmail, and money. I really had to leave. Others, and not only you, must desire my return. My arrival must be desired by all those who so whole-heartedly drove Dragana Ćorić me out of their homes and thoughts. And their children must covet (Novi Sad) my return, for my arrival, like the Messiah’s, may fi nally bring peace to this long-suff ering nation. I am the only, at least I think so, who can remove any irregularity, pre-empt any crisis and street demonstrations. I am not indulging in self-aggrandizement, my dear girl, BRUSSELS, 25 JUNE 2005 but I am aware of my importance since the day of my birth. And my importance rests on the fact that I must protect people from themselves, ensure human liberties and rights, actively take part in their protection. I am important because I must indicate the right way of the state governance and of management of economy, y dear girl, people and politics. I am to indicate that those who groundlessly att ack other people or appropriate property of other people must be M punished. I am to lay down that every river, every leaf, and every I know that you are rightly mad with me for not having child must be loved. I am to spell out that men must be respected writt en to you for such a long time. I know that an ordinary apology, and loved because of themselves and not because of their party like the one that I was very busy, shall not be suffi cient. I know that membership. My task is to be always on the side of justice, be it on your beautiful eyes were teary and watchful many mornings. And the side of the ruling nomenclature or on the side of opposition. the fact that I have caused you pain fi rst by my departure, and later, You see, dear girl, I am still an idealist, the same one which by my long absence, shall trouble me for the rest of my life. had to leave you at the mercy of conquerors. I just hope that you I admit that I was selfi sh. It did not even occur to me have not changed much, that your soul is still pure, despite the to imagine how diffi cult my absence, the absence of a friend, of wounds which the war, poverty, incapable and greedy people collaborator, would be be for you. I know that you hoped very have infl icted on you. I hope that your hair is still long as Sava and much I would be back in a jiff y. But the international situation Danube, that you still smell of the freshly mown Fruska Mountain was not favourable. You must believe me that I would have come grass, and that your skin is as white as the peaks of Kopaonik. earlier, if the conditions had been ripe. I expect that I shall be granted visa soon and then return to You well know how diffi cult my departure was. First the you. To you, my dear, and to all others who have banished me, and trust the other people gave me was shaken up. No-one believed who now, out of their very faddish reasons, want me back. me any more. Even when I vowed to do something, that had their suspicions, they denied me, they tried to undermine me in million Always yours, ways. While I maintained the validity of my words, they kept Constitution saying that there were people with more money or other kinds of infl uence who could buy me, or buy someone bett er and stronger than me.

48 49 selected essays (2)

or met with a scornful glance, and arrogant words: they are all the same?! Such a blow would not be so painful if it were not been dealt by those who were your co-combatants, sometimes even ahead of you. Everything would be less painful if you did not witness the rise and in parallel the proliferation of various, inter-connected right-wing youth organizations, much readier to face various challenges than you were, organizations whose activities are not banned, though they more frequently use sheer force than arguments. Miloš Stoiljković But what hurts me mostly is the awareness that that we missed out on the (Beograd) chance to prevent that phenomenon. But that is water under the bridge, thus a matt er more easily agreed upon (or perhaps not?), despite the futility of such agreement. But what about the future? Let us not fool ourselves: we live in the high-technology era, in the world of big business. Money is the prime mover and your life’s successes MUCH EXPECTED FROM shall be most frequently gauged by the quantity of the money you have earned. Probably today invocation of any ideal or a rallying cry to embrace THE YOUNG ONES them or higher goals is more useless and mindless than ever. Is there another place in the world which bett er than Serbia shows that being deft and vile are bett er att ributes for achieving a good social standing and success than being clever and educated? Probably such a place exists, but then, Serbia defi nitely occupies the second-ranking place in the total list of such places. I agree with hat is wrong with the young in Serbia? Or let us put that all those who say that here rogues are most successful, and that the hard- Wquestion in another way: why the young in Serbia lack courage, working people are easily destroyed or harmed by those inferior to them. If will-power, desire to engage in resolution of social issues and why do they in Serbia successful are those who are rich, and rich those who knew how to succumb to apathy which is increasingly becoming a main feature of the Serb plunder and steal, to bow and pander to the higher-ups, to be immoral and society? dishonest, then one must oneself if there is any sense in asking the young That issue shall not be raised only by an embitt ered member of to sacrifi ce something in the name of vague ideals which would never make the older generation who is also likely to say that in his youth things were them rich? I understand all the reasons for disappontment and I deem most diff erent, that is, much bett er. It is only normal that the old level heavy criticism of them justifi ed, though examples of those who had successfully countered at the young, and that such criticism, pending on the currently political the aforementioned phenomenon does not fully justify the aforementioned circumstances, is more or less politically charged. Aside from objections that defeatism. Resolution of that problem would not only help Serbia, but rather the young are inclined to take various drugs and other inebriating substances, the whole mankind, though we shall have to accept the fact that it would take there are also those, age-old ones about the lack of interest of the younger long to suppress or uproot the said phenomenon. generation in their fate, in the future, in the world. Young are young, old are But is the above portrayal applicable to all the young? It maybe old, young shall grow older, and we wish the old people to age well and to true that so-called liberal circles of our society are making, I would say, a enjoy their deserved old age. I don’t have enough experience or a suffi ciently methodological mistake. Perhaps we err when observing or scrutinizing a representative specimen to judge the older generation, but I think that I have wrong group, that is a part thereof which is not a representative sample of some knowledge of the young, being one of them, and that I could impart it Serbia’s young. It is unrealistic to expect a more massive participation of the without aspirations to drawing loft y conclusions and lessions. young in the political life in non-extreme circumstances. Thus, in my mind, Among the socially active young similar remark may be oft en heard. the biggest problem is part of the Serb young, who are on the other side, who Indeed a person who wants to change something in Serbia, may feel lonely and confront us (I assume that the general stands of readers of my texts are similar isolated. How many times have you come up against the wall of indiff erence, to mine, in view of the publication in which this text is going to appear), namely,

50 51 young authors selected essays (2) the afore-mentioned, various right-wing organisations. I assume that citizens shall follow in our footsteps, unless something aff ects them so much to change active in those organizations are representative of the other part of Serbia their orientation. However, an inverse process cannot be precluded. (though our part is oft called The Other Serbia). Surely that our opponents It is not unusual to see the young att racted or lured by fi ery from the other part of Serb society are not massively engaged in activities of nationalistic slogans. And on that level such a phenomenon is diffi cult to those organizations, despite their leanings, and surely such organizations are counter. It is diffi cult to write a fi ery and catchy tune about human rights characterized by diversity of ideological orientations, so characteristic of our and facing up to the war crimes (though the others in their songs cleary people!? But it would be interesting to study which grouping is in percentages expose their views on war crimes). Of course, I am exaggerating, but I would more engaged or active (unfortunately is is quite clear is the second one is nonetheless like to say that we should not expect much from those in very more numerous.) It is clear that the other side is more dedicated or active. tender years. Of course I remember that in the 90’s many young chanted the With the benefi t of hindsight, or in historical terms, it is easily inferred that Red Gang, and similar. But the whole story had a diff erent backdrop. At the the right-wing forces have always been more disciplined, more united and time young protesters admitt ed that they were on the streets demanding more prone to fi nding a common goal and method than their opponents. The ouster of Milosevic and his Red Gang, and combatt ing for the introduction of foregoing may be explained by the nature of their ideologies. That gives them democracy and free elections. Those with vague notions of democracy then a head-start, as it is clear in this case. But then, we cannot do much about that strove to read something about it (as I did) and things took the right course. aspect of their make-up, for it would be well-nigh impossible to change that Of course there were opposite cases. Some disenchanted with politics are part of society. What we can however do is to actively and effi ciently counter gett ing on our nerves now (though we need them so much), while others, aft er them. Another diffi cult task. the fragmentation of the opposition block, embraced diff erent or contrary But between us and them there is a large part of those who can be ideas. However the overall mood in the society was diff erent, and that is an infl uenced. The young who are becoming politically aware, who shall soon irrefutable fact. But had you asked a young boy on 17th March the reasons vote for the fi rst time, persons yet to be shaped into personalities. And the two, behind his street protest, he would have replied that he was there beacuse aforementioned Serbias are fi ghting to win them over. And it seem to me that Shiptari were killing our people, torching our monasteries, and then would go our side is losing that batt le. So wherein lies the crux of the problem? on to list all kinds of retaliatory measures and actions he wanted to be taken I tend to see that crux in stormy developments on the 17th of March against all of them, all the while shouting adequate slogans and raising his 2004. In that explosion of fury and violence I was most hurt by the fact that arms. Therefore it is diffi cult to draw any humane ideology from such a story? thousands of the young played truant that day (though with the permission of In a year or two that boy shall turn a voter. As will many of his peers. But, their teachers) and took to the streets succumbing to the nationalistic frenzy alas, as the polls indicate such a youngster is surrounded by the alike-minded and fervor which those days shook up the streets of Belgrade and other cities. people at home, or within the immediate family fold, thus we can rule out any Similar manifestations happen during important matches of our national re-education within the family circle. I have long stopped counting on schools, teams, and we all know who the targets are and which slogans are shouted. for schools sent them to the streets during the 17th March protests. Of course- I must draw a parallel with what I would call my time (how strange that with best intentions. sounds!), that is with the time when I was att ending the secondary-school or This whole story about the young in the best way speaks of key even primary one. Then the young also took part in protests, but the character features of the bulk of problems of our society. They are not simple (and that of those protests was quite diff erent. Then we protested against election truth is easily detectable, isn’t it), they cannot ve viewed just from one angle, rigging, and demanded democracy … Surely some youngsters then too had they are not likely to disappear overnight, and in fact-they are in our midst to diff erent motives, and surely many used those rallies and protests to give stay. Therefore we face an uphill batt le against them. Hence the worst thing we vent to their other frustrations. One can even say that those protests bore the can currently do is to state with astonishment and shock that today children nationalistic hallmark too and that the underlying poverty, resulting from the enthuse over war and other criminals and hate other peoples about whom they failed national project, propelled and fuelled them. know nothing, or regret that in the best times the young were more politically However, there is one vast diff erence. Those who in their youth and socially engaged. It is also wrong to endeavour to re-activate those once demand free elections and those who in their youth chant Kill, slaughter shall politically active. In fact it is a sheer loss of time. They have grown up, they most certainly evolve into diff erent personalities. In all likelihood the former are mature, they shall realize the truth, if there is even a slight chance for such

52 53 young authors a realization. And it is up to us to do out utmost to channel those youngsters in the right direction, and help them evolve in the right way. And don’t worry, there shall be opportunities for such an undertaking. For we all tend to learn more as we grow up.

Nebojša Đerić (Novi Sad)

THE COUNTRY WHICH I LOVE

itizens of Novi Sad, good day to you. Citizens of Vojvodina, good Cday to you. Citizens of Serbia, good day to you. Citizens of Serbia temporarily working abroad, good day to you. Citizens with dual citizenship, good day to you. I wish you all a good day in the country which we love- in Serbia! We all live in the same country, in Serbia, and we all hail from Serbia, or we were born in another country, or we work or are schooled in another country, but Serbia is always dear to our hearts. We love this country, we are proud of it, we suff er together with it, we rejoice with it, it is the country in which we can make progress, develop ourselves, school ourselves, marry, and live happily till the end of our lives. But how we go about that? How we show our love for this country in diff erent ways? How come that love of the country entails killing for it ? How come that love of the country for someone implies hiding and protecting criminals? How come that love of one’s country means a blind trust of some in the words of church dignitaries? How come that such love for some implies spiting the whole world? I love this country….but I am a traitor! I wish that all citizens of this country lived in peace, equality, harmony and in full respect of civic and human rights. I wish that everyone could speak in his or her mother tongue, without beating beaten up or insulted. I don’t

54 55 young authors selected essays (2) want anyone to feel threatened in the country of Serbia just because he or she And really, what has changed in Serbia since 5 October 2000? Why was is not of a proud Serb origins. I then so happy? Was it because that day was sunnier and more beautiful like I love this country... but I am a foreign mercenary! no other day in the past 10 ugly years only for me? I want all the graffi ti with the nationalistic-chauvinistic-racist messages What’s the saying? I pledge…who dares look into your eyes... on the walls of schools, hospitals, football stadiums walls and bridges in Serbia I then trusted that man. And Europe trusted him. There was a palpable be painted over. turnaround…things were improving full-thrott le Serbia was on the path to I love this country…but I also like lesbians and homosexuals! Europe. I was happy! I wish that human rights be fully respected. I wish that people of One man at the time did diffi cult things: he “dragged” Serbia towards diff erent sexual orientations be protected from stoning. I wish equality for all Europe. He did not want Serbia to stop on the road to the desired goal. The citizens of Serbia. process of painful and diffi cult reforms was in full swing. And he assumed all I love this country …but I am an Ustashi and Muslim! the responsibility in order to prevent any glitch in that process. They vilifi ed I wish that all those who committ ed crimes against the Croat, Bosniak, him, accused him of being the German spy and the Serb traitor, but he did Albanian and Serb people in my name be prosecuted. I want them to be not care. He kept saying that Serbia should not stop its reforms, for if Serbia punished. I don’t want to live with them in the same country. I wish that ground to a standstill … citizens of this country be exempted from the collective guilt. I want us to Unfortunately his fear that Serbia might grew dispirited in that reconcile with our neighbors. process proved to be justifi ed. That Wednesday on 12 March 2003., Serbia I love this country…but you are lying that you love it! ground to a standstill. I wish that hate speech stopped. I wish that nationalism be treated as For a while Serbia stood still and then it began going back to square something bad, that it be condemned. I wish that nationalists be punished. I one, that is, to those bleak times which characterized the 90’s. want all of us to remember how nationalism infl icted so much evil on all of us At a lecture of the Helsinki Committ ee “School of Democracy” Latinka living in Serbia. Perović replied negatively to the question whether there was anyone in Serbia I love this country….on whose side are you? capable of assuming a great responsibility and energetic enough to steer I don’t want a repeat of recent past. I don’t want to go on watching Serbia again towards the European course. on TV screen the faces of those people who have infl icted on so much evil, Many lecturers of the “School of Democracy”, exposed their views on pain, suff ering, death, hatred and suff ering on citizens of Serbia, Bosnia and our sad story before and aft er 5 October 2005. Regrett ably none of them had Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo and who continue to manipulate the Serb optimistic views of this country which I love and in which I want to live. It people from the Hague by allegedly defending Serbia from internal and seems to me nothing can change for the bett er here. external enemies. I was to a certain extent infl uenced by positive and optimistic stands I sometimes ask myself if my wishes are unrealistic!?! Am I indeed on of Dusan Mij ic, an entrepreneur, and his insistence on personal responsibility the wrong side? Are changes in Serbia possible ? for our actions and deeds. In June 2005 I att ended a panel-discussion on human rights in What is very sad is the fact that Serbia again has very bad relations Zrenjanin. The discussion was very interesting, but poorly att ended. Of few with its neighbors. Aft er a “democratic changeover” in the year 2000, borders local activists in audience, only two actively participated in discussion. I was which used to separate us for 10 years, became once again accessible. The new one of them, and the other was a girl hungry for answers from the panelists. authorities began re-building and strengthening good neighborly relations That girl was interesting because of her energy, her stance, her struggle with Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia and even for her ideas, her genuine wish see Serbia fi nally change for the bett er. Also Kosovo. something interesting was writt en on her T-shirt, for it provide the answer to all People started traveling to the newly-emerged states. Economic co- my questions, to all striving for changes, to all my genuine eff orts in my capacity operation was renewed. The light was seen at the end of tunnel. And Serbia of the activist, peace-loving youngster, and consistent fi ghter for human rights. then wanted to join Europe. And the following was writt en on her T-shirt: “1 October, 2 October, 3 Unfortunately those days are long gone by. Serbia made an U turn as October, 4 October, 5 October and-1 April”. and started reviving the 90’ s era. Now we have “democratic authorities” which

56 57 young authors have managed to sour anew our relations with the neighboring countries. We are back to square one. The only novelty is the emergence of a new inter-state problem, the one with Macedonia. Now we have come full circle. European Union is on our doorstep, on doorstep of Serbia, while the authorities of this country are bent on isolating us anew from our Balkans midst. As if we are fated to be people apart…to be “Heavenly People.” So Europe just continue your journey, stop waiting for us. Miloš Gajić (Beograd)

HOMEWORK

very citizen born after the 50’s is a witness to historical events Eand also to historical paradoxes. But the issue is whether they are aware of those events, of their own role in those turbulent developments on the public scene. Are they aware that daily political events later turn into historical ones, and that as of late that process is accelerated, as the prominent philosophers have already established: We are directly experiencing history. The aforementioned citizens grew up in the state or federation composed of republics, in so-called Socialist Federal Republic. Those republics with their different nationalities and religions lived in brotherhood and unity in that unique and well-reputed state. Fifteen years ago, after the break-up of that idyllic state, every republic with its hard-earned independence, often also paid in blood tribute, is striving to become part of a fast-evolving project: the EU state. What a paradox! Are we trying to resuscitate our old selves or we are organizing ourselves along the lines on which rested the state which we have so easily renounced, with all the accompanying dire consequences. That is the basic link between the republic in which I live, Serbia and European Union. To go back to square one, to go back to where you naturally belong, and to the place from which you single-handedly excluded yourself. To go back under the condition of fully acknowledging the recent errors, and adopting a new code of rules. Therefore the initial question affects and is related to all us.

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How big is the individual responsibility for all the crimes committed under neighbours were raped, killed and plundered, there were many perjuries various pretexts? Some defended unprotected, some defended independence. especially on TV, while notably the high clerics considered it quite a hit to The issue of responsibility is a specially sensitive one in our milieu, because have their pictures taken while holding kalishnikovs or blessing members several generations grew up in the socialist collectivism in which success of special death squads on the eve of their new, deadly adventures. During was shared evenly by all, while failures were simply ignored or denied. all that time a system of values indicating at least immoral aspects of the So, what has in fact happened to us? That is the question pondered by whole undertaking has never been put in place. There was some intellectual the young generation, but also by those who directly took part in destruction resistance and some values were still respected, but their already slight of the then existing civilized, European and ultimately humane values. impact was dispelled by the frenzied tornado of war cries and the general Firstly we witnessed the ascent of the Leader. The society in which belligerent mood. Then columns of youngsters left their homes and the mood of collectivism persisted 10 years after the death of Josip Broz, was homeland for ever. If we understand the young as the country’s future, then meandering in the self-management socialism, thus maturing for the new we have lost it during the war, and have been trying to recover it for years tasks, the new leader of the strong-arm system, as we like to say. And then now in the peacetime. the Leader emerged with the idea of protecting of all Serbs in the region, Organized societies have too their strata of crime-inclined renegades that is, in the republics of the SFRY, from hostile neighbours. In that way and dissidents. Such personalities were sidelined, and barely surviving at he supplanted the self-managing socialism by the historically established the bottom of the social ladder before the 90’s. Then, in that decade, someone national one. While we were all busily building walls between ourselves and calculated the percentage of our educated and literate citizens, assessed mistrust too, in the region prevailed a contrary trend, the one of unification, their needs and wishes and offered them the final product: the New Leader. heralded by the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War. Namely some concluded that we lost a lot of time and that the time was ripe Masses of citizens or the people recognized the rising political star for installment of the strong-arm regime. or the pop icon who was telling them just what they wanted to hear. Like The time was up for the less educated social strata to say what they any savvy TV star our Leader did that very well. But in contrast to his pop thought about the existing state of affairs, and to have their wishes finally culture colleagues he wanted his fans to do what he told them. Each year fulfilled; that pandering to the lower strata of the society was symbolically he won anew the Popularity Oscar. True pop stars were on the defensive, in called anti-bureaucratic revolution, for we have always disliked resolutions. garages, with guitars, under the tents, at the leaders’ rallies with accordions. The revolution was spearheaded by the greatest bureaucrats of all, a banker That was the Serb clubbing list in the 90’s, and the best watering holes and by profession and a leader by calling. Slobodan Milošević pricked his ears, popular haunts were: renowned trenches in Croatia and Bosnia, on the first listened to all demands at a massive rally, then said that he has not heard front-line. them properly, but that in any case all those who deserved it would be Top five performers: President and four vice-presidents. The worst arrested. All peace-loving people in the then republics incredulously watched thing was that it occurred to some cleverer performers to look for their him and minded their own business. For if they had reacted violently, and salvation in the Church and they started looking for it in the downtown shouted that he was wrong, they would not have been peaceful people. Belgrade and in Greater Belgrade area, though that trend-following Church, And thus the worst among us took up the leading positions and led us into like the similar ones, was in one of the best haunts from the clubbing list an indescribable odyssey of familiarization with brotherly peoples and for that month, that is, probably somewhere in the Croat Slavonia. Then all republics. We were all given sniper-guns in order to get better acquainted neighbours of ours already bore the ethnic hallmark, and such a stance was with our fellow-nationals and natural wealth. not only typical of the Serb Church, but also of churches of other nations, Now we should also analyze which link of togetherness proved to be which thus contributed to the regional military rave. In such a mood, when so weak –was it the one made up of peaceful and anti-war- oriented citizens it was well known who was close to us, and who was not, “take care of of the then state? Why some have failed to prevent the worst-case scenario? your nearest and dearest” was quickly transformed into “kill your nearest What was the right way to counter the war-mongering campaign, was it the and dearest”, while other commandments asked for an indefinite time out. establishment of anti-war associations? Had Europe and the world failed to Thus “do not steal...do not commit adultery...do not kill...do not commit a counteract the ugly phenomenon? Had not they done the only thing that was perjury” were morphed into their massive, opposites - those considered our in their power-they passed resolutions, appealed to common sense.

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No-one can accuse any observer of failing to prevent a brawl with the major evil. Sometimes it is illusory to insist on those postulates in the states whole neighbourhood. Therefore I think that we are ultimately responsible and societies whose very order is contrary to those notions. Of course, every for our actions. It transpired that putting faith in the common sense and man, even a nation have different understandings and concepts of freedom. intelligence of some strata of societies in all the then republics-was wrong. In Some would like to retain borders, for though they are already in Europe, at Serbia academics were those who drew up the Memorandum as a supreme least in the virtual one, some people and politicians think that an overdose of document which justified the war for liberation of allegedly “our” land in freedom may make us sick. It is partly true from the standpoint of individual the neighbouring backyard! The biggest stir was caused by Sarajevo mothers who would be thus closer to anarchy then to his social milieu. In those who protested against the looming war danger. I remember that I hoped terms it can be said that we, as a an enchained nation, living for years in a that their desperate move would make the rest of the state see sense. But dictatorship, suddenly got too much freedom and consequently destroyed an adequate response to their plea failed to materialize. I think that then the whole region. Now in this sobering-up stage we see a vague shape of a I acquired the need and ability to recognize hope in a social gesture of friend who having had once had similar experiences is now trying with some movement. Then I was a 12 or 13-year old boy. Like my peers I listened to understanding to help us get up...but...under the condition.... the latest MTV hits, imitated movements of Mc Hammer rep-singer with Under the condition that we live and let other live, that is fully respect my mates, attended football matches, went dancing and watched mutilated human rights. That is the condition imposed by that friend of ours, EU, our bodies on the prime time TV news. I remember that in the fourth grade my neighbour which is uniting after our break-up. As a member of the generation homework was to watch the live broadcast of the 1989 Gazimestan rally. As which is likely to experience anew cohabitation with people of different at the time I had phobia of politicians because I thought that they served faiths and nations, I think that it is necessary that we, single-handedly, to declare wars, I barely managed to sit two minutes before the TV set, and without external conditions, set some guidelines and goals for ourselves having not heard any such declaration, I quickly turned off the TV set and and others, the limits never to be trespassed. We should never again allow went out to play. Since at the time no-one openly mentioned war, my phobia election rigging, we should never again tolerate any primitive movement must have been linked to the infantile instinct. We all have intuition which or gesture made in the name of a suspicious, general national welfare. We helps us distinguish between evil and good, and deep, deep down, inside should demonstrate that we want a state of united citizens, of individuals our psyche we know which elements and conduct lead to good and which responsible towards themselves and others, the state characterized by to evil. We have different approaches to accomplishment of our goals, and individual quality as opposed to the state exemplifying ideological quantity that is necessary and normal. But what is it that makes us keep mum and – collectivism. We should have the government opposed to the worst of us close our eyes before open manifestations of primitive conduct and evil? living at the expense of others. We must create an atmosphere and elite What is one to do when someone decides that our natural anti-evil instinct ready to counter any evil, to respond to any manifestation of militarism, should be morphed into an internal institution of evil, and supports such either coming from the streets or from any level of authorities. Such shows an intention with arguments that the evil we see sporadically is not in of militarism like any contagious virus should be immediately stamped fact evil, if it is done for the general, national cause and also for our own out by just and legal procedures. By extension we should demonstrate our benefit. Then one easily recognizes consequences of collectivism which is acumen by rallying liberal forces whenever it is necessary. That applies to the only well recognized and known and even, perhaps, a still desirable, the new generation too, my or our generation, and adoption of such values phenomena in this country. That lack of personal initiative is a key element must be kick-started as soon as possible, in order to boost the current civic- in explaining the humane and economic devastation of this region. However minded structures to take a firm stand against retrograde forces and their it bears mentioning that the then existing liberal, peaceful, and cosmopolitan destructive populism. By simply accepting liberal economy which rewards elites were not vocal enough or united enough to uphold key principles of entrepreneurial spirit, hard work and expertise, the citizenry would be contemporary civilization, the principles to be adopted and respected by encouraged to accept individual responsibility and in turn would demand my generation, those very principles which were not seriously accepted by the transparent work of parties and scrutinize their ideas: how good are their generation of my parents. Some leaders of the newly-accepted EU members, concepts, are they retrograde, etc. If deemed such then they could then be leaders of some central European states, deny the very concept of human proclaimed harmful for the health of the young and old. Be it utopia or not, rights and the existence of the third, NGO sector. Moreover they label it as a it is our right to dream of the least bad society.

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What I expect from myself and others is a constant work and self- improvement, while the cultural, social and economic, global competition continues, in order to transform ourselves and our generation into people not ashamed of their personal values in any position from which the society of worthy individuals is to be built.

Milan Zaviša (Novi Sad)

AN INTERESTING LIFE IN - BOREDOM

am bored ! This sounds more like a sentence from a sci-fi fi lm dealing Iwith the key issues of the year 2075 and general ways of survival of the remaining humanoid mankind. But the problem emerges when I utt er that sentence. For I don’t want people to understand it as an expression of my desperate impotence and anger in the face of fact that I wrongly leading my own life. No, in fact at issue is quite a diff erent matt er which I shall try to explicate as much as I can. In other words, I don’t want any more to listen to people who for want of their own interests, other than run-of-the mill gossip and re-telling of their own ordinary life trifl es, can only reiterate much-used and –abused phrase “how life is indeed wonderful here ..we fi nd life very interesting here...we are never bored!”. Well such utt erings must be stopped! Nonsensical nature of this and similar statements is per se obvious. In fact I would really like to live in a disinteresting country (I am intentionally using that adjective, for the sintagm “a boring country” would imply other meanings.) In recent years I have been pondering our social reality and its odd phenomena thereof. The foregoing made me take a fi rm decision not to allow myself to live in such a reality in the near and far future! All diversity and lethal “fun” of the local life, which many here stubbornly refuse to renounce, I would gladly exchange for a normal, peaceful, and even, boring day. No, my dear friends, I am not referring to my renounciation of the days without stress, haste, fury, nervousness, and other precious aspects of our life. On the contrary, such aspects of your and my life are here to stay.

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However, when one exists in the society in which one social activity, so- called politics, occupies the fi rst place in the things determining the life of every single individual, then it is-too much. As of late I am bothered very much by that fact. ... By extension I don’t like the local writers to be those who have most material or food for their artistic creations, for they are the ones who are served in huge quantities most foolishness every single day. Luckily enough most of them, for want of a genuine talent, stand no chance of “processing” such nourishment, so we cannot see what this society has morphed or how it continues to develop in Maja Lonhardt a convoluted way. But I am still thinking about –boredom. Can you imagine how (Beograd) wonderful it would be if boredom entered the lives of people of this undefi ned country. Of course I am talking about bordeom, and not vacuity. Vacuity is lethal, while boredom is desirable. Then aft er a while, aft er a longish period of boredom, we would be able to discuss how bad it is to live such a boring life with all those boring people (contrary to the currently boring people who bore us to death with ESTHETICS IN MEDIA their boring stories)._Yes, I would like us to reach the stage when we would be able to discuss the above without problems and without worried glances of some freaks who clearly dislike your or mine story (let us overlook the fact that they don’t understand it), and talk quietly, with a nice background music, fully aware that we have fi nally managed to halt the events which had the capacity to surprise hat is beauty? It is very diffi cult to give an universal answer us so terribly and overtake us and ultimately made us dependently rely on their Wto that question. Defi nition of that notion changed or varied terrible consequences. throughout epochs. That notion was an eternal inspiration for poets. Many So, long live an interesting life as the icing on the cake! philosophers also dealt with the esthetics-related issues. One of best known English philosophers, David Hume, dedicated an essay to beauty: “Beauty is not a inherent feature of things; it exists only in spirit which observes it, and every spirit has a diff erent perception of beauty” (David Hume, “On Criteria of Taste”, 1757). So, one subject can repel some people, and att ract others, not because of its characteristics, but because of feelings of our spirit in its capacity of critic. Therefore according to Hume beauty lies in taste or feelings of reader and observer. Our personal taste shall be the only argument for determining something, that is, making us say that something is beautiful or ugly. Diff erent cultures have diff erent perceptions of beauty. For example as regards female beauty, anthropologists have noted that some “primitive” social communities favoured the beauty of rotund women and cherished the custom of fatt ening women before their weddings. On the other hand, most modern societies favour slim women. In old Greece and in Renaissance beauty was considered a special harmony between parts of body within the body as a whole. So only harmonious things were beautiful. But some things nevertheless have their universal value and eternal beauty, most notably some classical literary works as well as works of arts which are much admired globally even today. But when Hume spoke about eternal beauty he emphasized that such beauty was not accessible to the vast

66 67 young authors selected essays (2) majority of people, for they could not perceive in the right way its very complex Similar situation is noted elsewhere in the world. Fashion is now a mixed structure. bag. Many incompatible things are put together to create the contemporary We are living in an era of a fast-developing technology. Means of mass fashion. But as the West has more money, much more is invested in beauty. communications contributed to accessibility of beauty. We can now see beautiful Esthetic surgery is very popular among the celebrities, but also increasingly so world landscapes, to which we cannot travel, but we can nonetheless admire their among “ordinary people” who have money to indulge in that fad. For example beauty on our home TV screens. We can listen to a performance of a top concert it is very popular to imitate the nose of Nikole Kidman, the mouth of Angelina musician without buying ticket for his concert or att ending his live performance. Joilie, breasts of Pamela Anderson or hair-style of Jeniff er Anniston. Everyone Books are today published in hundreds of languages and in millions of copies, wants to look like someone else, and thus so-called copy-paste beauty is created. thus that kind of entertainment cum enjoyment is accessible to most people in the I however think that in this whole spectrum of beauty possibilities we world. must fi nd the one compatible with our personality. Therefore we must sift or fi lter But there is also a fl ip side of that phenomenon. Means of mass through information which the media send us and take our own stance, instead communication created a mass culture dominated by homogenity, unifi cation of becoming just another victim of mass culture. Today such a stance is linked to and devoid of individuality and diversity. Mass production caused loss of esthetics, and tomorrow it could be linked to something much more serious. authenticity. In such a world beauty has been imposed as imperative. Ideals cum icons of all girls are photo models who are successful and skinny. Girls stop eating in emulation of their idols, and sometimes even end up with a disease- anorexia. Some authors stressed that the most famous doll, Barbie doll, was more dangerous than video games, oft criticized for inciting children’s aggressiveness. And the reason thereof is simple: Barbie doll is made like a perfect woman, with a perfect body. Thus it may cause frustration among girls and conseqently their wish to emulate it. Most female magazines are dedicated to beauty. I think that women should emphasize or rather fl aunt their beauty, such trump card should not be remain hidden. However we sometimes feel guilty, or not on top form, if we don’t go regularly to beauty parlours or hair-dressers, even if we don’t go to solarium. But there is also a spritual beauty, to which we should aspire. That was the confi rmed by Immanuel Kant, a great German philosopher, Hume’s peer, who also dealt with issues of esthetics. For example, he made a distinction between the beautiful and the sublime. In those terms he said that beauty destroyed old age, and that sublime and noble characteristics should gradually replace the beautiful ones (Immanuel Kant, “On Beautiful and Sublime”, 1763). Of course television as a visual medium must above all att ract our att ention by things which please our eyes. However simple things are beautiful, while, those much-adorned quickly turn into kitch. In this country many try to att ract masses of people in a rather distasteful manner and by resorting to exaggerations. Thus overdressed and over made-up singers become idols of the majority of people. And as we know the majority is rarely right. Notably when that majority is composed of semi-literate and semi-educated people. Their unstinting admiration of kitch exemplifi ed by their icons, indicates that they must have been colour-blind for most of their life.

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broadcasts would experience the same, negative chemical processes which I had mentioned in the previous paragraph. In my comprehensive analysis of infl uential TV channels I would start with the least infl uential, Sve O Sportu, or SOS channel. In technical terms that channel is still on the lowest rung of the media evolution, that is, in an embryonal stage. It is a blatanly amateurish TV while its graphic lay-out is on the level of technology of early 90’s cell phones. Though it is allegedly a sports channel, it Dejan Pataki oft acquires a political dimension, because of its focus on recurring incidents (Novi Sad) during the sports matches involving players and fans from countries which used to belong to the SFRY. During live broadcasts the journalist’ head is placed on a heavily tatooed body of a renowned basketball player! Television Košava reminds me of the previou period and its prime movers, family Milošević – Marković, notably its younger members. This TV “YOU ARE WHAT YOU WATCH” has a “hero” which must be mentioned. That hero is a male called Nole. His programs should be of erotic character, but the predominant sexual element thereof is frequent “verbal masturbation” of the aforementioned presenter and his tendency to visibly harass cameramen and other technical staff . Private television of Bogoljub Karić is becoming increasingly private, eter Gabriel, a renowned multi-media artist, at his concerts oft en and dicreasingly public service. In any case its program are of a higher quality Pcommented, in-between his songs, that the way you dress denoted and much bett er then the other programs aired in Serbia. Though fully aware of the kind of man you were, and that in one period optimists maintained that one private character of that TV I must nonetheless note that they tend to bombard was what one read. Gabriel ended his comments by asserting that “In the 21st their viewers with, for example, features on donation of some generators to a century you are what you watch”. backwater place in Kosovo. Of course the focus is on donator himself-Bogolljub In trying to explain to myself the phenomenon of vastly retrograde, Karic in fl esh. The same phenomenon occurred during the coverage of a recent primitive, semi-literate, latently fascisoid , arrested in development Serbia, incident in Macedonia. Namely a Macedonian citizen violated Macedonian laws I concluded that the lethal media contents played a major role in such a and was, “surprisingly” arrested and put in a Macedonian jail. Musical talents of development. I fi nd it hard to talk about the print media in view of the two younger members of a large Karic family are much hyped and fl aunted on that factors: fi rstly, in Serbia 50% of population is illiterate, and secondly the largest TV channel (even in prime time news programs). The last adventure of that media part of the print media are nor in fact –newspapers. Namely aft er just 10 minutes house named aft er the onomatopoeic sound of knitt ing is in fact a throwback to a of reading papers which in this country are called tabloids, I sense emergence bad pornographic fi lm! of certain chemical-physical processes in my body, which are best explained Pink Television is a phenomenon per se. The impact of that media house by some medical terms: indigestion, hysteria, unease, dizziness,and even is evident and important. The fact that the whole generation of youngsters who murderous instinct.... Electronic media, that is, television, as an equivalent of the grew up in this country were called Pink generation att ests to the foregoing. aforementioned sub-species, are a far more interesting and most certainly, more That TV contribued to the economic collapse of the society and the moral and infl uential factor in shaping the mind-set of population. A reference point, or a ethical retardation or rather regression thereof. Esthetics of that TV channel is focal point in most homes is television set, and the whole household is focused based on the most primitive principles. Notion of beauty ends up with the sets, on its emissions/programs. During the war television had a leading role in the and superfi ciality is dominant. Absence of taste, harmony and culture along country. It was nearly as important as the police and army. with the abundant presence of triviality, small-town mind-set and rudeness are When analysing TV programs served hot or cold to the population at trademarks of that television. Though that media house is not represented by large I must exclude local television networsk. I am not suffi ciently familiar with Komrakov or Vucelic, marketing of virtual reality seems to be an exclusive task of programs thereof, but I suspect that while watching just a small sample of their TV Pink. Only thanks to communication policy-makers of that television channel

70 71 young authors selected essays (2) widows and wives of war criminals have been turned into icons or ideals of the protected witnesses. That is why the Bacon and Trumpet Festivals shall become Serb housewives. In Grand Show there is a veritable invasion of primitive people our “brand names”, in addition to Bitef, Fest or Sterij a Theatre festival. That is and singers with upper body silicone implants who oft en authoritatively discuss why the witnesses of the bus accident near Zrenjanin stood smoking on Tisa “key” issues of this society. Trademark of that television are also Latin American bridge, while passengers were drowning, that is why we had disgraceful panel soap operas of very poor quality and aggressive-rude dialogues between hosts discussions at the Law and Mechanical Engineering Faculty in Belgrade, that and guests on a spate of political talk shows. Discussions oft en centre on the is why we were the onle ones who did not have a state delegation during the following issues: Is a criminal Legij a a hero or not, or, is the Capital Investment tribute-paying ceremony to the Aushwitz victims... Minsiter, Velja Ilić, an archtype of aggressive primitive or not? In analyzing the state-run television, which increasingly aspires to the name of the state-run broadcasting service and to charge us for that privilege, I must comment director of that “institution.” The manner of his naming to that post, and notably his past are very compromising and speak volumes of the Radio Television Serbia programs. Statements of Aleksandar Tij anić are brazen and discriminating and rude. Public service to be tailored by the former Information Minister, of the most ill-informed politician in history, of the man who said: “If Zoran Đinđić survies, Serbis shall perish...” shall hopefully not be reduced to only one frame which this self-styled legalism-minded government could propose. Public service should off er to its viewers an objective, unbiased, discreet, decent, cutlurally diverse, well-packaged and relatively fi nancially independent program...To expect the incumbent director to create such a program would be tantamount to expecting Petar Lukovic to write introduction to a history textbook penned by Radoš Ljušić or Zvezdan Jovanović invoking his right to become a conscientious-objecter. In this list TV B92 was not mentioned for it its programs, contents, and quality diff er from the other televisions. Negativne But this media house because of overcomercialization of its programs has lost on its quality. Barring domestic investigative programs like Insider and airing of the BBC documentary program, the rest of its output is very average. If we agree with Peter Gabriel’s thought mentioned in the beginning of this text, perhaps we may establish some cause-consequence connections. Our society is primitive, uncouth, naive, superfi cial, and shallow just like TV soap operas. It is ever ready to repeat the same old stupidities, all the while thinking about a bett er and happier life for all citizens. Our current social order is a pre- political one, for only such a society can so easily fall into traps laid by so-called journalists or –hacks. Our milieu is the way it is because an invasion of Latin American serials or soap-operas has took on the role of educational program, because highly-paid call girls are promoted as the model of successful women, because public discourse of politicians, notably some ministers is awash with dirty words and curses, because it is quite normal to insult, to lie, to be vulgar and rude while cameras are on in any studio or in parliament. That is why part of younger generations reminds me of an admixture of teletabis, Grand stars and

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such a detailed insight into every single particular of the game. Now my view is broader and it can encompass the whole fi eld. Those down there shall continue to push and kick each other, to run and try to score, there shall be no drastic changes, so why should I not try to see who else is at the stadium. To see if new fans have arrived and if some have given up and quietly left . It also occurred to me that I am now in a bett er position because of the proximity of the exit gate. But I don’t intend to leave, I know that it is a bett er Vladeta Milin solution, but it is not my solution. I feel that I should stay here, for most surely (Beograd) I would not be happy to leave without knowing the fi nal score. Leaving is not for me, I am too interested in the outcome. In this grand stand of mine I see people similar to me. They are sitt ing and watching developments down there, they are tired and nervous and want something more, but sometimes it seems that they want something more, they FOOTBALL FIELD they are hoping in vain. It seems that they lack a leader, or more players able to organize or channel this aspiration. I am also aware that something is amiss. An interesting situaiton is developing on my right hand side. The racket there is incessant, perhasps the fan group is bett er organized there. Tam-tam sounds of their drums and high-pitched tones of their syrens are am at a stadium. Though I am aware of importance of the match, I stare deafening. But it seems to me that the majority of those present at the stadium Ivacantly at the fi eld. Those around me are not frenetic either. And the have grown accustomed to their irritating presence, and consequently started match goes on. ignoring them. I don’t know how they succeed in ignoring those terribly loud Maybe the length of the match is the crux of the matt er, that is of my fans. I cannot. Then I notice that they are joined by disappointed fans eager disinterest. The match is too long to entice a stronger support from the stand. The for action, even of this kind. Fans on that right hand stand encourage the team very game is becoming monotonous. The feeling that despite all the eff ort and in line with the Serb mind-set, namely they whistle and insult the players trouble we don’t have a favorable result is terribly de-motivating. The game is because they are not producing the desired result. Though I appreciate their turning nasty with players increasingly acting as veritable brutes, and the fi eld is will to do something I am nonetheless put off by their stance and irritating so muddy that it is hard to distinguish between the players of the two teams. noise taht they produce. Yes, interest in this kind of diversion has defi nitely waned... Fans from the left stand have dispersed, or moved to the other stands. Yet I remember the bett er days... People used to root passionately, as Now they have joined ranks with the fans at the right hand stand and started if their lives were at stake. So great was their identifi cation with the game in rooting. I am surprised, but I fi nd their maneouvre very interesting. I am the fi eld that the their tension oft spilled over into not so innocent fi ghts at the watching them. I don’t know what I feel about their ambition to take a more spectators stand. Groups of fans fought with all the means available to convince active part of this event. Perhaps I am just prone to ridicule their pathetic the others that their team was the only one, the best one, the one. Undoubtedly att empt. For I think that they know that aft er the arrest of their “cheer-leader” there was much more passion during the games, but I nontheless think that it is they have lost nearly all the power. I could laugh out loudly but I don’t want good that those times are behind us. to do that. I am not a malicious person plus I am also worried about their But it is at the same time clear that the current apathy is de-motivising the persistence. I think that they can grow stronger if in the general apathy they players. If they try hard to play well they do it because of their personal reasons are not taken seriously. If all grow quiet, at least their few voices shall be and not because of increasingly indiff erent spectators. But the new aspect is not heard. good either. I feel dizzy because of that that abrupt side-changing....from the right So deeply immersed in thoughts, I notice belatedly that I have climbed to the left stand. I feel slightly depressed. Then I fi rst look down and then lift to higher rows. I am no longer too close to the muddy fi eld and thus I don’t have my eyes to the sky. Just like when I used to exercise in the primary school and

74 75 young authors for the fi rst time felt the importance of moving the entire body for the sake of improving its fl exibility. Aft er renewing my spiritual and also bodily alertness, I stare before me. I don’t know how to explain what I see: it is a conglomerate of the most diff erent people. Some are totally silent, and as far as I remember have never utt ered a single word. They are totally enigmatic. I don’t know what they think, I don’t know why they are still here, why they are present if they are not interested in the match. The others nervously walk to and fro, even during those rare, interesting moments in the fi eld. They have more energy which they aimlessly expend. Those who sell refreshments have the same radius of movement like the aimless spectators but at least they have a goal: to earn some money. And there’s nothing controversial about their goal, but I sometimes just wish they did not try so hard to earn something, for their aggressive business conduct sporadically made me miss important moments of the match. Above that odd mixture of humanity there are boxes. Spectators in those boxes kept changing during the match. Now I cannot see them clearly, but I think most of them are some media personalities, writers, and academicians, standing by some smiling, satisfi ed VIPs. There are also a lot of photographers there. I am tired. An overload of information for just one overview. But I am defi nitely enjoying the new developments around me. They have revved me up. And now I have found the new reason for my presence at the match: a miltutude of people here, too many things are happening here, a lot of manipulation, wishes, disappointments, plans and failures. So much life going around me! When I compare those people in clothes with those in the fi eld wallowing in the mud, when I see how passioantely they root for the victory of their team, then I realize that developments at the stand are much more important. Att ention of fans is focused on the fi eld, and mine on the stand. I see the fi eld as a mere illusion. Fans are those who have a lot of life in them, and that is what really matt ers. They are numerically superior, more essential then the players who owe everything to their fans. Paradoxically enough, if all present at the stadium woke up and realized their own impact on the game, then the character of the match would change totally and I am convinced that we would have the only result suiting all the spectators. So, aft er all, I am glad to be still at the stadium, I know that this is the right place for me. Right here, so high up. And my contribution to realization of the result desired by me and by the majority shall be to confi de into someone my thoughts. No, in fact I shall tell my thoughts to all and sundry.

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